Tricked
by TheMenace3117
Summary: As Manic searches for his missing Medallion, he introduces Tails to his world, a life of crime in The Underground. Things get heavy for the duo, but Tails doesn't plan on leaving his new life anytime soon. While Scourge tears things apart, he and Manic go down similar roads with important lessons, culminating in a final confrontation neither side will forget.
1. Chapter 1

**THIS IS THE SEQUEL TO MY STORY "TRICK", WITH MINIMAL CALLBACKS TO IT.**

**ENJOY!**

_Chapter 1: The Crusher_

After losing his brother's Medallion over a year ago, Manic the Hedgehog has finally tracked it down: Casino Night Zone.

But Sonic's old rival Scourge currently has possession of the Gem and he's been using it's abilities for profit, taking what he wants and destroying everyone whose tried to stop him.

While receiving news of Scourge's attacks, Miles "Tails" Prower decided to join Manic, given that the fox has a long history with Scourge which goes back years.

They both dated Fiona Fox and things didn't go well for Tails.

This is his chance to settle the score.

The Green Hedgehog and the 16 year old Fox arrive in town around Noon and it doesn't take long for word to get back to Scourge.

Sleet, former associate of Dr. Robotnik, walks into the bar his new employer is drinking at and sits across from him at a back table.

"Sonic's brother Manic just showed up. You know he's lookin' for that Gem" Sleet starts off "...he'll be coming atcha with everything"

The Bright Green hedgehog downs a shot of Tequila and the Gem around his neck lights up the entire bar room for a moment, then he speaks.

"I keep forgettin' Sonic's baby brother can't run as fast as him, but I _did_ know he was on his way here. Took his time, too... I'm gonna whoop that ass just as easily as I whooped Sonic's"

"He's got Miles Prower with him"

Scourge bursts into laughter "What, are those two looking to run me outta town, now? Shiiit.. I think they wanna make this fun for me"

He stands up, finishes off his bottle of alcohol and burps loudly on his way towards the door

"Alright. Lets go say hi"

Sleet signals for the rest of the crew inside the bar room to follow the boss. Scourge has assembled male and female MMA fighters from the local gyms into his gang. Not because he needs protection, but to help with bank and demolition jobs. He wants everyone in his crew to be tough, but not too smart. He's the brains of the operation, and he gets the biggest take from each job.

So far he's paid everyone handsomely, so they stick with him.

Meanwhile, Manic buys two energy drinks and walks back to the table Tails is sitting at. The duo have stopped at a local pub and take a seat on the outside patio.

"Want a Rockstar?" Manic asks

"Yeah, I'll take one" Tails replies

"They're on sale, 2-for-1. Better grab some before they're gone"

Manic tosses a can to the fox and laughs "Just kiddin, bro. Here"

"Yeah, well, I got your Vodka. You weren't joking when you said they'll sell anyone alcohol"

Manic mixes the energy drink into the glass of Vodka "Yeah, man. Legal drinking age in this zone is 16. That's why I moved here when I was your age. I even remember going to school wasted a few times.

Tails opens his can "Sounds fun"

"Indeed it was, young Prower. There was this plump girl in my class, she liked me a lot, the other girls didn't really. One day we skipped class, picked up a bottle and found a nice back alley to f-"

"PLEASE - don't finish that story. I can only handle so much"

Manic laughs "Just a history lesson. Hey, you said you could find this foxy felix, right? Got anything, yet?"

Tails types on his A.I program "...facial recognition pins him across town, south west. He's with a crew-"

"What do they look like?"

"Weird, there's more girls than guys with him"

"How's that weird? Girls can't be in street gangs, now?" Manic asks

"What? No, that's not what I meant"

"Okay. I was worried there for a second, T. Here, lemme see that"

Tails hands the touchscreen device to him and he zooms in on them

"...these chicks look like they could whoop some ass. Ooh, that ones kinda _butch_ lookin'... shit, I recognize one of the dudes. Sleet. Total prick.. Thought he was retired? What's he doing with that bag of dicks Scourge?"

Tails takes a drink "I don't know"

"And why would those girls wanna chill with King dipshit?"

"I don't - _Know!_"

Manic downs his mixed drink in one gulp "Grab your gear, it's time to kick some ass"

Tails tries to say something but the green hedgehog is already up and moving. The Fox throws his garbage out, swings the gymbag strap over his shoulder and races to catch up with Manic.

They follow the SAGE program across town and get ready for a fight.

They turn one last corner and come face-to-face with Scourge.

"...the loser brother is finally here. Oh, and Manic is with you, too" Scourge says sarcastically

Tails glares at him "Asshole"

"So, I heard you boys were looking for me. Figured I'd meet you halfway"

Manic's Jade Medallion lights up and his hands shake uncontrollably as he feels Scourge's energy pulsing through the Sapphire Medallion he stole.

Scourge looks down at his necklace "Oh, right, you came here for this. Well, I can assure it ain't goin' _**NOWHERE**_. So, you can take the virgin and go back to whatever shit hole you call home. Leave the work to the professionals, kid"

"Yeah, I don't think so. See, you stole that from me, pal. That's my dead brother's Medallion, the one my mother gave to him before she died. Now, hand it over and I'll forget everything you just said to me" Manic warns

"I just said this is MINE. Go home, unless you want a free trip to the hospital"

Manic steps forward "Alright, nothing is stopping me from kicking your arrogant little ass, you greasy, wannabe punk-rock douchebag!"

Scourge puts his fists up "You really wanna risk the safety of all these folks out today? Because I got a feeling we would destroy this whole town in a battle. I mean, I could give less of a shit about these morons, but I know you two gay boys would cry a river if you killed innocent people"

Tails stops Manic from attacking "...bastard is right, this place would explode. We need to get him outta the city-"

"Something tells me he's not one for sight-seeing, T.."

Scourge smirks as he looks at the street, thinking about this situation.

He looks up "How about a round of _**Canyon Crush?**_"

Manic raises a brow "What, now?"

Tails scoffs "It's one of those stupid Battle Royale type games. Bunch of idiots enter and fight each other until only one of them wins. We're not gonna play a video game for Sonic's Medallion!"

Scourge grins "This ain't no game, it's the real deal! The locals run it near the Canyon, far from any police activity. Pays very well, and we can fight in there. But if I win, I take your Medallion, and that Pink one you got in that box, too"

Manic's eye widen and he looks at Tails, Scourge isn't supposed to know he has Sonia's Medallion with him.

Tails looks up "What're you talkin-"

"Don't gimme that bullshit, I know you have it. Wager those Gems and I'll fight. But, of course, you don't have to play my game, no ones forcing you to join the contest..."

"Why'd you say it like that?" Manic asks

"Say it like what?"

"Like - _that_. All mysterious and shit, you've tickled my curiosity"

Scourge shrugs "Hey, I'm just saying, man.."

"Manic, don't do it, he's trying to sucker you into something he knows he can win" Tails warns

Scourge crosses his arms "Hey, if you're too chicken, it's cool. No shame in bowing out.."

"Well, now I wanna do it. I can beat you at anything, punk!" Manic says "I'll put the Gems up, you bright green slimball!"

Scourge grins evilly and extends his hand to shake Manic's.

"You got yourself a deal"

Manic shakes it as quickly as possible while Tails looks on in disapproval

"This won't end well, I can already feel it.." The Fox says

"Wait, nobody actually dies in these things, right?" Manic asks

"No, of course not! We just beat the shit out of each other until there's a last man standing"

"What happens if you lose?"

"I wouldn't know. I _don't _lose" Scourge responds as he turns to the south "...follow me to the battlefield. Oh, and know this: Once you're in, there ain't no way out until the contest is finished. After that, you're someone else's problem"

Manic spits on the ground "Just take us there so I can wipe that grin off your face and be done with this"

Scourge chuckles "Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this much more than you will"

The duo follow Scourge down a long dirt road and the rest of his crew walk close behind them. Manic turns around and starts waving at the MMA girls, and one of them waves back. Tails uses The SAGE Program to scan the area for any traps. It's all mostly dirt hills, dried up river beds and dead grass.

Tails leans over and whispers "I don't like this, dude. Something feels wrong, I'm telling you"

Manic brushes this off "Bro, you don't gotta fight in there if you don't wanna. I can do this myself"

"...yeah, last time you said that, a 14 year old girl damn-near killed you and your hometown"

"You're always bringin' up the past, man. I got this, alright? I promise"

After another 10 minutes of walking through the hot river bed, The group start to hear voices getting louder, like a crowd or audience cheering.

Scourge walks up one last dirt hill and crosses his arms confidently.

"Here we are, boys. The Crusher"

Manic and Tails look at the arena, 5 square miles of underground bunkers, rundown houses, stolen vehicles, sinking sand traps, a few water fountains and a nearly invisible Dome overtop of the battlefield. Hundreds of spectators stand outside the Dome to watch the action, most of them betting lots of money on the winner.

"_Holy Shit_" Manic and Tails both say

Scourge points over to the main gate "Better sign in before the contest starts! Today is Squad day, but if only one of you wants to fight, that's okay"

Manic takes off his grey vest and black hoodie, sporting a Black/Gold tank top, and does his best to flex whatever muscles he has.

Tails looks at him "You're trying to show off your tiny muscles for those girls, aren't you!"

"Hey, I actually might get some action outta this little get together, so chill, bro!"

Scourge signs the waivers and gives the paper back to the Gatekeeper, then puts the stolen Sapphire Medallion in a holding box.

"Put all non-regulated weapons inside this box. The Gatekeeper will return them to you once the contest is finished" The Arena Boss says

Scourge enters the arena and looks at Manic "Well, come on, then! Lets rumble!"

The Green Hedgehog turns to Tails "Last chance, T. Wanna join me in battle, or do you wanna be a light-roast weenie and stay out here?"

Tails throws the Gymbag to the ground and sighs "..it's times like this where I seriously question our friendship"

Manic laughs and lightly punches the fox's chest

"I knew you wouldn't let me down. This is gonna be great, man! Think of it as a training exercise of sorts"

"This is one hell of a training exercise.."

The duo sign the waivers, walk through the gate and Manic puts both Medallions inside the holding box before he enters.

Manic points to the Gymbag "Hey buddy! Hang onto that bag for us, we won't be long"

The Gatekeeper says something in an unknown language, and not in a polite manner.

"Hey, bro, there's $20 for ya if you do-"

The Gatekeeper snarls angrily at Manic and he jumps back to avoid the attack. Once he and Tails are inside, the Gate is shut and electronically locked.

A countdown clock starts off from 20 and the other 16 teams get ready to fight.

Manic turns to Scourge "Wait, you never told us how to eliminate other players!"

"Eliminate 'em by tap out or knockout!" He shouts back

An electronic voice starts speaking

**MATCH BEGINS IN 10 SECONDS**

Tails notices Scourge doesn't have any partners in his squad

"Where are your team mates?"

Scourge grins "They're around, but you won't see them coming"

"What?"

**5, 4, 3, 2, 1-**

A massive bullhorn sounds out and everyone takes off running for weapons. The strongest weapon available is the Compact Stun Gun, but it's hard to come by. The weakest weapons are the cardboard boxes, scattered all around the arena.

Tails picks up a box and uses it as a shield from incoming attacks, while Manic fights head-on against the competition. He's able to get 3 players to tap out to strikes, and puts another in a headlock submission until he taps out.

Everytime someone is eliminated, a loud buzzer sounds out to score these.

On the other side of the arena, Scourge digs through the abandoned houses for the stun gun but another team has already found it.

The leader fires the gun at Scourge but he narrowly dodges the two electric barbs. While the leader tries to reload the stun gun, Scourge sweep kicks his legs out from under him and punches him until he's unconscious, then takes the weapon for himself.

Tails is overwhelmed by a big group and knocked to the ground, forcing Manic to race in and knock them back so the fox can get back up.

The duo stand back-to-back and wait for more attackers.

"How long has it been? 20 minutes?" Tails asks, inhaling and exhaling heavily

"Dude, it's only been 20 seconds"

"..well, it feels like 20 minutes.."

"How ya feeling? Can you fight?" Manic asks

"Gettin' tired" Tails answers

"But you ain't hardly do anything!"

"This shit hurts, man! These guys are taking this way too seriously!.."

"Yeah, I guess they are. Stay on your feet, fight smart. We didn't come here to lose"

The Fox sees a gang of 15 heading their way and circling on all sides.

"Talk to you in a bit, trouble's coming in hot"

"Alright bro"

Manic races towards the first group, kicks dirt in their faces to briefly blind them and throws powerful roundhouse and spinning kicks at each attacker.

Tails, however, flies above his attackers and swoops in, smashing one at a time. He uses a cardboard box to protect himself as well as to shield-bash them.

"This way is much easier!" Tails shouts

He's so busy flying around the arena that he doesn't see Scourge aiming the Stun Gun at him. He lines up the shot and fires, both barbs perfectly hitting Tails in the chest. He falls to the ground as 5 000 volts electrify his entire body.

"Shit!" Manic shouts

The green hedgehog runs over to help his friend, only to be shot with a tazer by another player. Manic grunts and strains, doing his best to fight off the pain.

He looks back to see who shot him, and instantly recognizes his attacker.

Stone, the last lieutenant for The murderous group, The Wulf House.

Several months ago, Manic ruthlessly beat Stone down and had a chance to save him from an angry mob, but he left him to die.

Scourge saved his life and made a deal to bring Manic here so Stone could kill him.

"Son - of a _**BITCH!**_" Manic says through gritted teeth

"It's time to die, freak!" Stone growls

Manic is able to rip the barbs out of his back and kneels down to catch his breath, while Stone throws the tazer away and walks towards him in his fighting stance.

The lieutenant lands a combination of fast, yet powerful punches on Manic while he recovers from the overflow of electricity that just went through his body.

Meanwhile Scourge kneels down next to Tails and locks him in a Sleeper Hold submission.

"Just like old times, eh" Scourge gloats

The Fox does his best to escape the hold but nothing works and he starts to black out from the lack of oxygen.

Manic looks over "Hang in there, Tails, I'm coming! Don't give up to that piece of shit!"

Stone swings wildly and Manic dodges the punches, then races to save his friend

Until Scourge fires the Stun Gun at him.

He holds the Submission, while electrifying Manic at the same time.

Tails is the first to go unconscious so Scourge releases him, then steps towards Manic.

"Argh!.. You chump! You couldn't beat me fair!" Manic shouts

Scourge smiles at his downed enemy and knocks him out with a left hook to the jaw. Manic lays face-first in the sand and the elimination buzzer sounds out for him and Tails.

Stone rolls him over and lifts his leg up to stomp on his head, but Scourge stops him

"What're you doing?" Scourge asks

"You promised me I could kill him!" Stone shouts

"No, no, no! ...he fought well, he deserves another day. Besides, where they are going, they'll wish they were dead"

Scourge and Stone leave the area and head back to the front Gate.

Manic and Tails are picked up by hooded figures and carried out of the Dome in a Silver truck.

The Arena Boss enters the Dome "Your winners, and still undefeated champions - these no-name bastards!"

The roar of the crowd is enough to wake Manic, and he looks out the window as his enemy takes The Jade, Sapphire and Crystal Medallions from the holding box.

"You motherfuc-"

A hooded guard whacks Manic in the head with the butt of his machine gun, and the green hedgehog goes back to sleep.

Scourge watches with a smile as the Silver truck drives into the distance, disappearing over the horizon.

"Have a nice trip, you dumb, stupid fucks"

The MMA girls join their boss and his entire gang jumps on a large Bus, heading back to Scourge's hangout.

"Get my girl on the phone, tell her _**The Man**_ has won again" Scourge laughs "And he's coming back with gifts"

The bus rides back into the Casino Night Zone, while The Silver Trucks ride far away from civilization.

Scourge steps off his party bus and enters a 4 story high Blue Building. He enters, walks up a spiralling staircase illuminated by Purple Neon lights, and he sits in the V.I.P lounge.

Scourge's girlfriend Chavele joins him and sits on his lap. She is tall, wears a short Red dress and Black heels. She has long, dyed black hair and smokes a cigarette.

"How was it, baby?" Chavele asks

The Bright Green hedgehog pulls out all three Medallions and smiles

"This dipshit named Manic came down here to stir some shit up, so I shut him down and took his Medallions"

The Black hedgehog looks at the Gems for a moment, studying them while butting out her cigarette.

"Manic, huh... was he alone?"

"Might as well have been. He brought this punk Tails and he got his ass kicked! I think he would've done better if the kid stayed home, know what I mean. Liabilities are the worst"

An electronic wristband on Chavele's right arm flashes twice, forcing her to jump up and head into the washroom.

She types on the small display screen for a moment, then Scourge enters the washroom as well.

"Baby, this is the girls' washroom!" Chavele says, face turning red

"Don't worry, I'm friends with the owner. We're good... what's wrong with your wrist-thing?" Scourge asks

"Um, it's nothing-"

The Bright Green hedgehog leans against the wall beside Chavele to keep her here

"You know him, don'tcha"

"..I met him in Metropolis about a year ago. That's all"

"He was nice to you, that's why you don't like what I did to him, right?"

"Look, nothing happened between us, we were just friends. I could care less about him.." Chavele says dismissively

Scourge looks into her yellow eyes "...you seen these before?"

She looks at the Gems hanging around her boyfriends' neck

"Just that Green one"

"These are pretty rare, Chevy. And I intend on keeping them with me, nobody else. No exceptions. Got me?" He asks

"Y-yeah, I got it, chill out"

Scourge smiles "Great. Lets go grab a bottle and celebrate. Drinks on the house all night, right Zak?"

A voice on his walkie-talkie speaks

"For you, absolutely, my man" Zak answers

The Green hedgehog puts his arm over Chavele's shoulder and they walk back into the V.I.P lounge. The DJ puts on loud Trap Music as more and more guests arrive in the club. By now, everyone's heard what Scourge did, so they're here to celebrate with him.

This bunch will look for any excuse to get drunk and party.

Unfortunately, It's not quite the same for Manic and Tails.

It's been over an hour since the duo were picked up, and the first thing Manic notices are the chains around his wrists and ankles.

"The hell is this?"

Tails groans slightly as he wakes, chained up as well

"...I told you this was a bad idea"

"Can you bust my chops after we get outta here? That's the last thing I need to hear, right now.."

The Fox looks around, they are currently inside a dark room with several other contestants from the Canyon. Every single one of them are shackled together, with Manic and Tails being at the front of the line.

A masked guard slides a metal door open and smacks his baton against the steel interior, making a loud CLANG sound echo throughout.

"Up! Now!" He orders

Manic walks forward "Why don'tcha take it easy, you Mowgli-lookin' bastard-"

A second guard whacks him in the gut with his baton, dropping the green hedgehog to both knees. He coughs up blood and glares at his captor.

"Don't try anything, you stupid prick!"

"Yeah, you're _real_ tough, aren't ya! Take these chains off and do it again, I dare ya!"

Manic lunges at the guard but the shackles only let him get so far, giving the guard a chance to backhand him across the face. Tails holds his friend back to stop the assault

"Come on, you're not winning this one, man.."

"Enough! You move out right now!"

Manic grudgingly starts walking outside and the rest of the captives follow. They walk through the front gate of a community surrounded by a massive wall. Armed guards stand in towers and the top of the wall is covered with razor wire.

"Where the hell are we?"

A set of heavy footsteps approaches the captives, so Manic looks forward to see who it is.

"Manic?! Son of a bitch, how are you doing?"

Sargent Simian, a former Destructix enforcer, looks down at the green hedgehog with a friendly smile.

Simian is a 300 pound Warthog wearing clothes a little too tight for someone as big as he is. His shirt can't cover his entire torso, revealing a pink belly that's exactly face-height with Manic.

"Simian, you're running this shit show?" Manic asks, leaning back to avoid the massive belly

"Oh, hell yeah. I run a good operation, little man. Frankly, I'm surprised you're here, though" Simian says "...you got suckered into doing Canyon Crush, huh"

"Yeah, and obviously I shoulda just kicked Scourge' ass when I had the chance..."

The Fat Warthog crosses his arms "Yeah, that guy never loses inside The Crusher... you here by yourself?"

"No, a friend of mine got dragged into this shit, too"

Simian takes a moment to think, then makes up his mind "...we go back a long time, Manny. I hate to see ya in such a shitty spot.. I ain't supposed to do this, but I'm gonna get you guys outta this line. You don't wanna end up where the rest of these poor bastards go"

"That'd be just amazing if you could get us outta here, Sim! We didn't sign up for this, bro" Manic says

The Warthog unlocks Manic's shackles and lets the Green hedgehog exit the line.

Simian goes to unlock the next set of shackles "And your friend is - oh..._Tails_"

The Fox makes eye contact with the Fat Warthog and immediately feels the anger boiling inside him

"Hi, Sarge" Tails greets with a nervous smile

Simian turns his back to the fox "I can't help you. Guards, take the workers down to the Brig"

Tails' eyes widen "What?! Workers? The Brig?! No, wait! Please! Hey, let me out! Manic! Hey!"

A guard punches the Fox in the gut and pushes him forward

"Move! Now!"

Manic tries to change Simian's mind but the Warthog dismisses his words and orders him to follow.

Manic looks at Tails "Bro, I'm sorry, I can't-"

The teenage Fox spits out blood and shakes his head angrily, then faces what waits for him.

"Come with me, little man. He'll be alright. Lets go get caught up" Simian says

The Green hedgehog quietly curses to himself and follows the Warthog into a fairly old building. Manic wishes he listened to Tails and never entered this contest.

He's managed to lose all three Medallions, his best friend, and now he's at the mercy of an overweight warlord.

But the Green hedgehog's always enjoyed a challenge, so this will be fun for him.

**PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2: Cassia and Cee_

Scourge wakes up in his king size bed and unlocks the small vault he keeps under the night stand, checking to see that all 3 Medallions are still inside. Chavele yawns as her boyfriend stands up and walks into the bathroom. She checks her phone for any messages and joins the green hedgehog.

"What're we doing today?" she asks

"_You_ are staying here til I get back" Scourge answers

"What, why? I wanna come along!"

"I gotta deal with some clowns, Chev. Business shit"

"You think I can't handle it? Is that it?"

Scourge leans against the sink "Course not. I'm well aware of what you can do. No, this is my business, and I'll be the one to handle it. So just chill here for a bit, then we'll go out later"

"That's not fair. You always keep me holed-up here while you get to do the fun shit. I wanna come"

"Just fuckin' stay put until I get back, alright!" Scourge orders, making Chavele to jump back "...you'll come along when I say you can. Jesus Christ..."

He sprays himself with cologne, puts on his gold chain and leaves his girlfriend in the large washroom.

"Keep your phone on, I'll text you when I'm done"

"Sure.." Chavele replies

Scourge takes the Medallions, puts his leather jacket on and quickly ties his shoelaces, then unlocks the front door.

"...I'll come back with some food and drinks, Chev"

He closes the door behind him and Chavele locks it right after.

The black haired hedgehog removes the SIM card from her phone, pulls a new one from her purse and slides it in. She waits for the phone to boot up, then she taps on her contacts.

Rocky C.

She begins to type a message to him

_**Rock, this is Cassia. I can't keep up the act, we need to set him up tonight!**_

_**-C**_

[Rocky is typing]

_**Alright. Where and When?**_

_**-R**_

She types a response

_**Get your guys to the Foundation Tunnels. 3:00**_

_**-C**_

[Rocky is typing]

_**K. Make sure you take those Gems as fast as you can**_

_**-R**_

She puts her phone away and lays down on the bed.

'Chavele' has a secret she's been keeping from Scourge for roughly 7 months.

Her real name is Cassia Pronghorn and she met Manic the Hedgehog in Metropolis one year ago. He discovered his Jade Medallion gave him special, yet limited abilities.

He didn't have the speed of his brother Sonic or the I.Q of his sister Sonia, but he could manipulate a Neon energy in various way: Fast healing, Strength, Endurance, Pain tolerance and Small Speed boosts.

At first, only _he_ could wield this energy, then Cassia took possession of the Crystal Medallion and learned she, too, could use it's abilities.

After a confrontation, they eventually became friends and Manic took back his sister's Medallion.

Then he found out Scourge stole the third Gem while he was busy in Metropolis.

Cassia heard about Scourge's attacks and immediately knew he had the Sapphire Medallion. She could still manipulate the Gem's energy, and she wanted to stop Scourge as much as Manic did, but didn't know how to take the Gem away without getting caught.

So she created the alias Chavele and radically changed her appearance so no one would recognize her.

She met Scourge in Bridge Town and seduced him that same night. Cassia knew getting close meant being romantically involved with him so she had to stay in character and keep up the act at any cost.

She just wasn't ready for how much of an asshole Scourge was.

Cassia has been dating him as Chavele for 7 months now, and she's been waiting for the perfect chance to take the Medallion from him. But now that he has all 3 Gems, she knows she has to act now before he does serious damage.

The black haired hedgehog gets ready for her daily exercises, she's going to need all the preparation she can get once it all starts.

* * *

Down in the grimy area known as The Brig, Tails is fitted with a dirty moss-green jumpsuit and put to work in the nearby fields. He, along with 20 other workers pull fruits and vegetables from their roots and place them in baskets. The hot sun boils over the orange sky, providing no shade from the heat for anyone.

Apart from the armed guards in watchtowers, who sit comfortably above everyone else.

After he fills his basket, he's ordered to take it to the end of the field and give it to another field worker, who gives him a new basket to fill.

The teenage fox repeats this for 4 straight hours, getting hardly any breaks in between.

Ice cold water bottles are passed out by the elderly workers, and every hour a guard sprays the crowd with a water hose to cool them down.

Tails goes to hand over another basket when he hears more voices calling to him from behind a nearby building

"Hey kid! Over here!" a male voice says

Tails looks around, trying to find where this is coming from

"Back here! Behind the northeast tower!"

He spots it and rushes over quickly so the guards don't see him.

Tails is met by a group of teenagers and young adults

"You're Miles Prower right?" A female badger asks

"..y-yeah, I am" Tails nervously replies

"I thought I recognized you when you came in" She says "A friend of mine wants to have a word"

"I don't think I can stay, those guards will kick my ass if I-"

"This'll only take a minute"

A taller male Fox puts out a cigarette he rolled, then he faces off with the much smaller Tails.

"You and your pansie friends got my uncle locked away for 15 years!"

"Whoa, hey, lets just talk this out!" Tails says, putting his hands up defensively

"Ain't nothing to talk about! I've been waiting for a chance to clap you out!"

The group watch out for guards while their tall friend beats Tails down. He tries to fight back but he's already tired out from working in the field, so he covers up and takes the beating.

"...you tell that bitch Manic he's next!"

The group laugh and walks away, while Tails spits out blood and wipes even more from his nose.

This side of the building provides shade from the boiling heat so he lies here to recover, then eventually passes out.

An hour later, someone spots Tails laying down so they approach him. The fox has a black eye and dried blood on his muzzle, so this individual opens a bag and pulls out a first aid kit.

Tails opens his eyes and sees a female hedgehog with Bleach Blonde hair kneeling over him.

He puts his hands up, afraid of getting struck again

"Please, ma'am, DON'T! My sensitive bones can't take any more!" Tails shouts

The girl shushes him and lightly grasps his wrists

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you" She says in a light, reassuring voice "I just want to help you"

Tails slowly lowers his guard and lets out a deep sigh of relief

"...lady, you had me scared for my life!.. what the hell is this place?"

She helps him up "Come with me, Tails, I'll tell you once we're inside"

"How'd you know my name?"

The girl escorts him through the field and past the guards, not one of them saying a word. Tails realizes she is someone important here, at least important enough that the guards won't cross her.

They walk through the front doors of a massive brick mansion and the fox feels the air conditioner hit him with nice cold air.

He finally feels his injuries pulse through his entire body, causing him to groan in pain.

The girl takes him to the nearest bedroom and he sits on a large bed.

"Ma'am, where am I? Why aren't they letting us go?" Tails asks

"They call this place _**New Genocide City**_. It's where they send workers to die" she answers

Tails thinks about this for a moment "...they said Genocide City was shut down, like, 30 years ago!"

"Well, they um, built a new one. Simian took control from the previous owner. These workers make him money and he provides basic necessities to them"

"Yeah, that _totally_ sounds like a fair trade... they treat us like shit down there!"

"I'm sorry you were brought here, Tails"

"You never told me how you knew my name"

She smiles "Everyone around here knows you and your friends by now. You guys are like celebrities, which confused me when I saw you being pushed through the front gates"

"Yeah, well that wasn't exactly my choice... so, what's your name?"

"I'm Cee"

"Is that short for something?"

"You know, I never found out if it was. Everyone around here just always called me Cee, so I didn't question it"

Tails leans against the wall "Huh... so, how come you're not in the fields working? You Simian's daughter or something?"

"I'm the caretaker. I help cook meals, maintain the properties, heal the wounded, babysit the worker's children... all that neat stuff" Cee answers

"Wait, you're one of Simian's-"

"No! I am **_NOTHING_** like him!... I have no choice, Tails.."

He looks at her "He's forcing you to stay here, isn't he?"

She nods

"...how long you been here?"

"All my life"

"...and how long is that?"

"16 years"

"And you've been locked up here this whole time? Never left? Went for a vacation?"

Before Cee can answer, a guard walks by and notices Tails, still in his worker jumpsuit sitting on the bed

"You! Come here! Now!"

Cee stands up "He's injured!"

"Then patch him up and send him back out!"

"He's working for me inside!"

"Did Simian authorize this?"

"He doesn't need to! It's my mansion, I can choose who comes in!" Cee shouts

The guard glares at Tails, then grudgingly stomps off.

Tails looks at Cee "You OWN this place?!"

She sits down "Yeah, Simian gave it to me a few years back. Said it was for 'my loyalty' or something like that"

Tails looks out the window "...I'm guessing that dickhead is up there right now"

He stares at a tall building several hundred yards away, knowing this is Simian's base of operations.

"He has cameras all over the city and watches the live feed in the executive suite on the top floor" Cee says

Tails scoffs "...and that prick Manic is up there just enjoying himself.."

**SIMIAN'S EXECUTIVE SUITE - MAIN LOOKOUT TOWER**

Manic sits across the table from the fat Warthog as they eat a large dinner and drink an unlimited amount of Wine.

"This ain't a bad setup, Sim. I mean, a little unethical, but not bad money" Manic says as he finishes his meal

The Warthog burps loudly before speaking "You're damn right it's good money. This is a no brainer, boy"

Manic shifts in his seat "So, about my friend Tails-"

"I ain't got nothing to say about that little shit! He stays down there, end of story!"

"Right, right, but hear me out... you said you want me to do runs for you, correct? Well, I'm pretty sure I'll need a ride in and out of the Zone, Sim"

"You do have a ride"

"I mean a _reliable_ ride. No offence, but I've seen how your guys drive. I can't work with that" Manic says "...Tails is a pilot, damn good one. Best I've ever worked with. He can get us in and out, quick and unseen"

Simian takes a big drink of his wine glass before answering "You won't leave this alone, will ya?"

Manic smirks and takes another drink

"...I'm sending a third man with you idiots to make sure everything goes as planned. Anything happens to him, or you two try to escape, I blow that plane to pieces. You fuckin' understand?"

Manic nods "100 percent"

"Alright. Lets go grab your buddy"

Manic puts his drink down "Oh, you meant now? I thought we were gonna start in the morning-"

"Just get off your ass, Manic, you're going now"

"You got it, boss.."

* * *

Cassia and Scourge walk through a grass pathway that leads to an underground tunnel.

The ambush she set up is just around the block from here, so she needs to take him down the rest of the path.

He holds her left hand and uses his free hand to pull a small mickey of Vodka out of his jacket pocket.

He takes a swig "That's good shit. Want a drink?"

"No. Thanks"

"Suit yourself... so, about earlier-"

"I get it. It's your business. You deal with it..."

"Yeah, well, I won't have to ever deal with shit, again"

She looks at him "Whaddya mean?"

Scourge pulls out his phone and shows his bank account balance

3 Million dollars.

"Holy shit"

He grins "Yep. We can get the fuck outta this Zone and retire, now. No more strong-arming clowns for chump change"

Cassia hesitates to answer, and Scourge can feel something's up

"...ain't that what you said you wanted to do? Get outta the life? With me? What's wrong?"

She faces him "How did you get that money?"

Scourge turns away from her "What's it matter? I got it and we can leave!"

Cassia feels conflicted about this situation

"You told me you were gonna stop killing for money! That's my problem right now, Scourge!"

"I didn't kill nobody, I'll have you know! ...I rolled some idiots for the cash, alright? Big difference, babe. Big fuckin' difference..."

The green hedgehog pulls out the mickey and takes a big drink, while Cassia tries to figure out if he's lying or not.

One of her talents are seeing through bullshit, and most of the time that's all that has come out of Scourge's mouth.

But, he's also showed her a softer side to him that no one else would believe existed.

She caves in "Alright, I believe you. Do you really wanna leave town with me?"

"That's what I said, ain't it? Like, when I say something, I mean that shit... (sigh) I'm sorry. I've been doing a lotta thinkin'. Can't do this forever. Almost everyone I used to hang with either moved on, got picked up or got clipped. I don't wanna die in prison or out in the street... I wanna get out while I can. And I, uh.. I was hoping you'd come along.."

Cassia looks into his brown eyes, praying he's telling the truth

The blaring sound of gunfire breaks the silence and Scourge pushes Cassia out of the way, while dozens of bullets strike him in the back.

"**ARGH! WHAT THE F-**"

All 3 Medallions begin to light up around Scourge' neck and he instantly heals. He puts his arms up and gets ready to attack

Then Cassia takes the Gems from him and blasts Pink Neon Energy through his chest

The green hedgehog lets out a pained growl, then drops to his knees as the air leaves his body. He struggles to breathe, so Cassia presses her palm on the wound and passes the same energy back into him. She heals him just enough so he'll live, then she lets him fall to the ground, still in immense pain.

"Nice job, Cass! We finally got him!" A male voice calls out from the shadows

She steps away from Scourge and joins her friend Rocky and his posse.

Turns out they are the family members of Scourge's victims, and they've been looking for a chance to pay him back for almost a year now.

"...what's gonna happen to him?" Cassia asks

"Justice. Town folk have something in store for this piece of shit" Rocky says "On their behalf, you have our thanks"

Scourge groans as two large Hedgehogs grab his arms and drag him back to their truck. He gets one last glance at the girl he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with, then he passes out.

Rocky looks at her "You gonna be alright?"

"..I didn't think I was gonna feel this guilty about setting him up"

"Ay, you got a murdering bastard off the streets, and you got your little Jewels back. He ain't worth one bit of your guilt, Cass. C'mon, you just saved a lot of lives, tonight. The good guys win"

Rocky grasps her shoulder in comfort, then he takes off with his posse.

"...but I still don't feel good..."


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3: Right And Wrong Choices_

Scourge sits on a large, rusted metal chair with his wrists taped to each arm of the chair. A long, heavy chain around his ankles keeps him from moving his legs. The green hedgehog has two black eyes curtesy of his captors, one of whom is a fan of Boxing.

"...You hit like a bitch, homeboy" Scourge says as he spits out blood

The first captor walks away from him and dips his bruised knuckles in a bowl of ice, while a second individual enters the dark room. He's wearing an apron and face mask, while his hands are covered by long rubber gloves.

He carries a gymbag in with him, most likely filled with sharp objects.

"Look at this slaughterhouse worker, next. What's that, gonna cut up some steak and feed it to me?" Scourge says sarcastically

"As skilled as Oscar is, blunt force trauma clearly isn't working well on you. I think a more direct approach is needed"

"Ah, yeah? Lets do it, _Knife Man_"

The masked individual opens the bag and reveals a dozen razor sharp knives, electric cattle prods and a few wet sanders. Scourge scoffs at this and leans back in the rusty chair.

"Ah, man, that's... do we have to go with those? I preferred Slugger's fists, he has some nice, gentle hands"

The masked individual leans in so he's face to face with Scourge

"These boys had wives, you piece of shit. Their children will grow up without their mothers because of you. The pain you're in is far more than what you deserve, because you get to live another day longer than those girls ever will"

Scourge looks at him "What're you talking about? I never killed any women! I might've capped a few wannabe badasses but I don't kill women or children! That's the code!"

Oscar runs up and sucker punches Scourge in the mouth, while the masked individual picks up a butcher knife.

"Get used to this, Scourge. This is your life from now on. Tied to that chair and in as much pain as you possibly can be"

He slices across Scourge's bare chest three times, causing him to shout in pain.

"AGH! God Damnit!"

The Knife Man draws blood from different areas of the green hedgehog's torso, even causing Oscar to wince a little.

Scourge takes deep breaths and groans in agony as the blade cuts through his flesh.

"Argh! Come on! OW! That felt good, lets go! Urghhh!"

Scourge eventually passes out due to blood loss, so Knife Man puts his tools down and takes a break.

"You see, Oscar, you put the pressure on guys like this and they show what cowards they are. They can give it but can't take it. That's the only way to deal with bastards like Scourge. No mercy"

The Boxer leans against the door and crosses his arms while his colleague wipes blood from his weapon and picks up a new one.

He slaps Scourge "Wake up, we're not even close to being finished"

"...you'd better kill me, motherfucker, because if I get loose, I'm coming after you first"

Knife Man plunges the razor into Scourge's abdomen "Like I said, you're dying in this chair... you'll just have to get used to this"

His pained screams echo throughout the entire facility, sending chills down the spines of everyone else around.

* * *

High above the streets, Tails flies an airplane while Manic sits in the seat behind him.

One of Simian's goons sits next to Tails, armed with two sub machine guns just in case the duo try anything.

"This ain't a bad gig, bro. Easy stuff, just fly to point A, wait for me to do the deal, then fly us to point B and so on" Manic says

"I can't believe we're smuggling drugs for this fat bastard..." Tails responds

"Ay, things could be worse, T. We're still alive, and you're not in that field getting the shit beat outta ya"

"Easy for you to say, you're up in his suite, kissing his ass and drinking wine all day! I bust my ass in this heat, dude!"

"Tails, bro, knock it down a few notches! Things will get better, I promise you, man! As long as we do this, we're good. Tell him, buddy" Manic looks at the armed guard

"Shut the fuck up"

"Alright, screw you then, pal. Tails, we're gonna be fine"

The Fox ignores him

"Aw, come on, don't be mad... 10 deals and we're done, we can leave"

"yeah, sure..."

Simian's guard looks at them "Can you ladies kiss and make up later? I just wanna get this over with"

"Look, buddy, I don't know what your problem is, or your goddamn name for that matter, but I don't like this anymore than you do. So, lets just be cool, alright?"

The guard exhales "...call me Handler"

"Handler, alright, lets be professional. And don't worry, you don't have to use the iron on us, we won't fight you"

"If we're being honest, I'm thinking of bailing outta this plane knowing there's only one parachute, and I don't need one to survive this fall" Tails says

"What'd you say?!"

Manic holds them back "Tails is just kidding, he wouldn't do that! It-it's just been a stressful couple of days for my friend, here, everything is good"

Handler sits back down in his seat "...you'd better watch yourself, kid, for real..."

"You fuckin' watch it, dickhead..."

Manic sighs and leans back in his seat as the trio wait for the trip to be over.

The fox lands the plane in a secured airstrip that's guarded by goons in camo gear and wielding assault rifles. Tails stays on board while Manic and Handler take two crates of drugs each. Tails watches the deal go down and starts up the plane once they make their way back, suitcase full of case in hand.

They get back in the air and Handler starts counting the money.

"Everything go as planned?" Tails asks

"We're good"

Manic looks down at one of the sub machine guns Handler has in his holster

"...have any of Simian's customers ever tried to rob him?"

Handler turns around to face Manic "Actually, an ex-Destructix member tried his luck one time-"

Manic headbutts Handler, takes one machine gun from him and aims at his head.

He ducks just in time to avoid the shots, while Manic opens his door as quickly as possible

"BAIL THE FUCK OUT, T, LETS GO!"

Handler pulls the second gun out and fires at the fox, but Tails is a second faster and dives out his door.

He kicks the throttle just as he leaps, sending the plane into a nose-dive down to the streets below.

"You sons of BITCHES!" Handler screams as he fires

Manic shouts as one bullet strikes his right bicep, while Tails reaches out

"Grab my hand!"

Manic reaches with his left arm and the duo grab each other's forearms. The Fox uses all his strength to hold Manic up, spin his two tails and slowly float back down.

Handler scrambles to find the parachute on board, throwing crates out of the way frantically. Absolute terror strains over his face once he realizes there is no parachute to grab.

Manic and Tails watch the plane fly down at max speed, then eventually exploding upon impact in a field of grass that surrounds the nearest ocean.

"...there never was a parachute on board, was there"

"As a pilot, that's the first thing you look for when preparing to fly. I left the 'chute back at the Hangar and planned this escape hours ago"

"So, now you've killed a man"

"A man who threaten to kill us, yes! ...I don't feel so good, now that I think about it..."

"Ah, don't sweat it, T. One less evil bastard in this world, I say"

"Yeah. I guess... so, where are we going, now?"

Manic feels a tingling sensation jolt throughout his entire body, as if something is trying to guide him.

"Manic?"

"West, go that way"

"What's out west?"

"Please, just - do it, I can feel an energy coming from that way"

* * *

Cassia packs the rest of her clothes into a large carrying case, then she locks the apartment door behind her. She doesn't feel too safe being around the gang of someone she set up the night before.

Cassia walks down the staircase and exits through the back door, only to be confronted by Scourge's right hand man Sleet.

"I can't believe we actually bought that bullshit story you fed us"

"What're you talking about, Sleet?" Cassia asks

"Even right now, trying to cover up your lies. Bold move"

"Look, I don't have time for your shit, get out of my way"

"Chavele Anders? Really? Fake name if I ever heard one"

Cassia's hands start shaking uncontrollably once she realizes Sleet knows the truth

"...you were the last one with Scourge before he went missing. I find it Interesting that you aren't missing, as well"

In a flash, Cassia uses the Gem's energy to knock Sleet down and she races out of the area as fast as she can.

The only thing the wolf sees of her is the Neon Pink trail left behind, until it dissolves

"You just confirmed it, bitch" Sleet says as he stands up and opens his phone "...everyone, listen up! Chavele Anders is the target. Now, that's obviously not her real name, and I know she has some of our cash on her. So, I want search parties all over town with stun guns. She's got the Boss' Medallion and she knows how to use it. Take her down, but keep her alive. She knows what happened to the boss and where we'll find him. Now move"

Cassia makes it all the way across town in a matter of seconds thanks to the enhanced speed boost Manic's Gem gives her. She stops to catch her breath and leans against a brick wall.

She hears two sets of feet walking towards her location, so she waits behind the wall to surprise them.

Manic is flipped onto his back and Cassia punches him twice, then realizes who it is.

"Manic?! Tails?! What're you guys doing here?!"

"We're not out here to get our asses kicked, jesus, girl!" Manic says as he spits out blood

"I'm sorry, I thought you guys were part of The Destructix"

She helps Manic back to his feet and gives him a hug. She lets go and embraces Tails next.

"You guys look like shit"

"Oh, thanks. We've been kept against our will in a labour camp, so excuse us if we're still adjusting to the outside world" Manic says

"Don't forget the part where I actually did the manual labour while you sat back with the guy who runs the show" Tails points out

"Hey, I got us this job and gave us this escape route so it was better that I shot the shit with Simian"

Cassia looks confused "What? Guys, I literally stopped Scourge from killing anyone else and I took the Sapphire Medallion from him last night!"

"Yeah, I can see you have my Medallions... you gonna hand 'em over, anytime soon?"

A long awkward silence grows over the trio, making Manic's heartbeat faster

"Come on, Cass"

"Okay, fine!..."

She hands over the Jade, Crystal and Sapphire Medallions and Manic grins. All of his veins illuminate Jade Green right as he touches his Medallion.

"Ahhh... it feels good to have this baby back"

Tails looks across the street because he notices a few teenagers staring and pointing at the trio. He sees one pull out a cellphone and slowly come towards the group.

"Guys, I think we just got made"

"By who?" Manic asks

The teenager hangs up and pulls out a pistol, while whistling out to his gang.

"Looks like we're on the move again, come on!" Manic orders

The trio take off running around the corner but 20 more gang members cut off this exit, forcing them to retreat. Manic kicks open the locked side door of an apartment building and fires Jade bolts of energy at the gang.

Cassia goes in first, then Tails and finally Manic follows, using his Medallions energy to weld the door shut.

"What's the plan, now?" Cassia asks

"Gonna have to jump across these rooftops while we still got the chance, it won't take long for these guys to get inside through another entrance" Manic says

Tails grabs Manic and Cassia's wrists and he flies them up the flight of stairs at top speed. They reach the rooftop access door and break it down, causing the fire alarm to go off. The trio race across the roof and jump at the same time, while Tails flies them over to the next rooftop.

"Hurry up, T, they see us!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!"

They touchdown, run across this roof and fly into the air once more. The gang try to follow them but the trio are too fast for them.

After escaping the gang, Tails lands the trio down into a secluded part of Casinopolis so they can rest.

"...that kid pulled a gun on us, man! What's the deal with that shit?!"

Cassia looks at him "There's something big going on behind the scenes, I can feel it. It goes past Scourge, he was just the hired gun. There's something else, guys..."

"Something worse than Scourge?" Tails asks

"I don't care, that prick suckered me, I'm gonna return the favor!" Manic shouts

"It's not him, Manic! His gang knows something nobody else does!... That asshole Sleet, he needs Scourge for something, that's why he's looking for him"

"...does Sleet need Scourge or do _you?_"

The female hedgehog looks at Manic intently

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cassia asks

"Alright, somebody's gotta say it: I think you're falling in love with this murdering bastard!" Manic says "...and you can't let him go"

"He isn't the problem, the gang he works for is! And since when has my love life been anyone's business but my own? I can see anyone I want to! What, did you think we were gonna hook up at some point? Let me tell you something: You're not as special as you think you are, Manic! You're a killer, just like him!"

"I'd like to think I'm still higher up on the food chain than Scourge. We're nothing alike, me and him!"

"...one of you seem to know right from wrong, and it's obviously not you"

"Cass, I understand you're hurting, and you're confused, so I'll let that go. But you need to understand something: Scourge is one of the bad guys, always has been, always will be. He's not someone you can change, you can't redeem yourself after the shit he's done"

"How do you know? Huh? Have you done the terrible things he has? Is that what gives you the right to judge anyone? You don't know that for sure, Manic! You don't!"

He grasps her shoulder "I know you're making a mistake if you try to save him"

Cassia looks down at his hand, all his veins glowing Jade Green now, while Tails hears police and fire truck sirens coming from all around town

"Guys? We need to leave this area" The Fox says

"...Manic, you're hurting me"

He lets go of Cassia's shoulder and looks down at the ground

In an instant, she grabs the Crystal Medallion from his hands and speeds away from the duo.

"Oh, FUCK SAKES! GET BACK HERE!"

Tails stops him "Manic, just let her go! She's not going to stop, anyway"

"Yeah, no shit, that's why I have to go after her!"

"What about our deal? Come on!"

"This is way more important, Tails!"

The Fox stands in his way "Bullshit, you gave me your word we'd go right back to save everyone down there! So keep your word, Manic!"

"Tails, you don't understand, man! I can't keep losing these Medallions! You know how long it took to find this last one?! Do you?!"

"...we can trust Cassia with it, we can't trust Simian. Do you understand that?"

Manic looks away from the teenage Fox, letting Tails know his decision

Tails shakes his head "Fine. I'll go back myself. You know where to find me if you ever start giving a shit again.."

The Fox leaves Manic in the middle of the street and heads back to New Genocide City, where he will undoubtedly be outnumbered and taken back down to The Brig.

The Green Hedgehog begins his search for Cassia, using the remaining two Gem's to help him locate the third. He tries to block out all negative thoughts but everything floods his mind all at once.

"...ah, son of a bitch..."

He turns around and goes after his friend, instead. Things will get a little rough in Simian's stronghold now that they've killed Handler, but Manic knows Tails is going to need all the help he can get.

Meanwhile, Scourge grows weak from losing so much blood and he has a new set of Scars all over his body. Knife Man and his partner Oscar are about to leave and let two new henchmen take over for the rest of the day.

"How ya feeling? Doing alright?" Knife Man asks

Scourge can only manage to groan quietly to respond

"Yeah, I didn't think so"

"...I never meant ...to kill anyone who didn't deserve it-"

"Well, you did and they're not coming back"

"I'm... _sorry_"

"And that's supposed to make it all better? An apology that's about 5 years too late? Right... you're pathetic, Scourge"

The Green Hedgehog doesn't say another word, just leans back in his chair and shuts his eyes. The room smells of dried blood and wet concrete, while Scourge looks like death is closing in.

After a small nap, Scourge hears the door creak as it's pushed open. His heartbeat gets faster knowing what's coming next.

"...hi"

Scourge opens his eyes and watches Cassia walk through the door

"...Oh...hey.."


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4: Things Are Changing_

**WEST SIDE MOTEL APT. 7**

**ONE HOUR LATER**

Cassia soaks all of Scourge's wounds with rubbing alcohol and he clinches his teeth as she then stitches them closed. He groans slightly as the sewing needle punctures his skin and the black thread slides through his flesh. The black haired hedgehog does her best to be as quick as possible, knowing Scourge is in immense pain.

She finishes up and puts the bloody sewing needle in the sink.

"You good?" She asks

"Yeah. You?"

Cassia nods and sits next to him on the bed. Scourge leans back and examines all his new scars, not feeling too great about his appearance.

The most noticeable ones are the three large scars that rip across his chest, 4 more puncture wounds on his abdomen and a smaller scar on his chin. He also has small scars on each forearm and a long scar on his upper left arm.

"...they tore me up, Chev. I ain't been cut like that before... look at me! I'm a fuckin' freak! I can't go out like this!"

"You're not a freak, Scourge. Look at me, I have a metal hand and electronic wrist gauntlet. I can't take those off, they're permanent... you can live with those scars, and those don't make you ugly"

The bright green hedgehog looks at Cassia, feeling a bit better about his situation.

"...Scourge, I'm so sorry I let those guys take you... I wasn't thinking straight, I didn't know who the real bad guys were!..." Cassia says, tears rolling down her face

Scourge lightly touches her cheeks with both hands "Hey, no, I'm - sorry. I uh, I wasn't a good boyfriend to you and I deserved that beating. I know now what's important, and who I can trust... I don't blame you, Chavele. I would've done the same"

She looks him in the eyes while he wipes her tears away

"I mean, I could've done without the knives, but hey..."

Cassia laughs and decides to tell him her real name

"Scourge, I need to tell you something... my name isn't Chavele Anders. It's Cassia Pronghorn. I had to use a made up name when I got here, I kinda have warrants under the real one"

Scourge scoffs and grins "Well, you used a pretty good one. Chavele... I can't use a fake name, everyone can tell who I am. When you're in the life so long, you can't get out. You're stuck here. This is my life... crime is all I know. How I make money, how I live... do you understand?"

Cassia nods "I do, probably more than anyone in this world"

"So, you know I hav'ta get back out there"

"...yeah, I know"

Scourge leans in and quickly kisses the female hedgehog

"...I still want you in my life, Cassia"

"I - I think I'm in love with you, Scourge"

He grins and pulls her down on the bed with him, then kisses the side of her neck. Cassia quietly moans and kicks her boots off.

Scourge suddenly wakes up slumped at a bar not far from his motel room.

"_Lil Jack Horny_" By **Extreme** plays throughout the entire bar, the bass boost making the ground shake

A tall and thin male hedgehog walks up to Scourge "You alright, buddy?"

He takes a drink of his beer "Just fine. You?"

"I'm fine, pal. Do you remember bumping into my friends and insulting us?"

"...I can't remember what I had for breakfast, bud. I was bangin' my girlfriend and then poof! I'm sitting here" Scourge says

"Well, you seem like a decent guy, so the boys gave you a break... bought you a beer, too"

"This one? Gee, thanks"

"Don't mention it... you said something about a job, sounded pretty suspect. You shouldnt come into bars and ask random guys to do robberies, dude"

"Is that what I was saying?"

"Yeah, something like you wanted to roll some rich guys' place. Said it would be _THE_ _easiest shit in the world_"

Scourge suddenly remembers why he cane to this specific establishment tonight. Criminals frequent this Roadhouse every day and night.

Serious con men and their jailbait girlfriends.

"...I take it, you know me" Scourge says

"Sure do. We ain't want no beef with ya-"

This gives the green hedgehog a little more confidence

"...but we're not gonna bow out to you, either"

Scourge grabs his mug of beer and downs the alcohol in one gulp

"I need elite guns for this job" He says as he slams the mug on the bar stand

The stranger chuckles "Buddy, nobody in here is gonna work with you"

"I'm talkin' millions in a single hit"

"Look, it don't matter how much this job pays, you are bad for business, man. You need to look somewhere else for slingers"

"Sleet is one of the beneficiaries"

This makes the stranger look back at Scourge

"Sleet, Robotnik's old lackey?"

Scourge nods

"I thought he was one of your guys?"

"My old team burned me. He made the call"

The Stranger looks over at his friends' table, signals for them to join and pulls a stool up next to the green hedgehog

"You'd better not be fuckin' around, man"

"They rolled me for 3 million dollars I was gonna use to get me and my girl outta this Zone... trust me, I'm not fucking around"

The stranger orders two more beers, pays for the drinks and gives a mug to Scourge. The other 7 rough looking members of his crew stand around them both and listen.

"...so, who's the mark?"

"The richest motherfucker in Casino Night Zone"

A thug behind him speaks "You mean **Allman Grey?** Jesus Christ!"

"I know his stash inside and out... that's why I need experienced guys-"

"You need the army, bro!... that's a suicide mission!"

"Not if we do it right. I told you, I know where he keeps the cash so this'll be an easy job" Scourge says

"Ah, yeah? How do you know his shit?" A fat thug asks

"Because I used to make cash runs and deposits for him. Sleet? My old crew? We were the in-house band, y'know, used a cover so nobody knew who we were. Long story short, I skimmed 3 bills off him, everybody skims money, right, and then I got picked up. My team finds out I had his cash, they emptied my account and delivered it right back to him... so, I wanna get payback"

"So, YOU stole 3 million from Allman Grey, your team takes the money back and YOU want payback? Man, you outsiders sure are funny"

"This is our business. We're all bad guys, alright? We all just wanna get that one big score and get the fuck outta dodge. That's my plan, anyway"

The stranger drinks his beer and burps loudly "I'm in"

Scourge looks at the rest of the group

"Sure"

"Ah, okay"

"Yeah, I'll do it"

"This better be a good payday"

Scourge drinks his beer quickly "Gentlemen, we can retire after this job. Just be men about it and don't get the team killed"

The group raise their beers, share a toast and agree on the idea.

Less than 8 hours later, Scourge and his team return to his motel room, missing 4 members. Cassia greets them with bottles of beer and a few boxes of pizza.

Scourge takes off his mask and throws a heavy gym bag to the floor

"Holy FUCK that was amazing!" he shouts "Those rent-a-cops didn't know what the fuck to do!"

The stranger removes his mask "We took their punk asses to school, brother!"

Another thug opens a gym bag "Look at all this money, bro! We're rich!"

Cassia looks at them "What happened to the rest of the guys?"

Scourge clears his throat "They uh, got wasted... that's what they get for being slow, am I right? Haha!"

The stranger looks to his leader "We're really good at this, man! We ought to this for a living!"

"Yeah, you're right, we oughta... but somewhere else. We're finished in this Zone, boys. We can't let anyone I.D us, so we gotta move"

"I know a place in Metropolis, babe. Lets go there" Cassia says

"Lead the way"

**NEW GENOCIDE CITY**

**8 HOURS EARLIER**

Tails puts his hands up as Simian's armed guards wait for their boss to arrive and greet the teenage Fox. 3 minutes pass once the fat Warthog finally shows up

"So, they shot down the plane, you say?" Simian asks "...and both Manic and Handler were killed? Is that what you said on the phone?"

Tails clears his throat "Y-yeah, that's right"

"You could've made a run for it, how come you came back?"

"...I have friends here, Sarge. I couldn't abandon them"

"Uh - _Bullshit_. You came back for Cee"

Tails says nothing, just gives him the case of money he retrieved from the drug deal.

Simian opens it "Holy shit, you actually got some of it back! You did good, Prower"

"I wanna see her, Simian. And not in shackles or anything, I wanna sit and talk with her"

"...she's got company over, but what the hell. Sure"

Tails walks through the giant gates until Simian stops him

"Hey, take a shower, first, and take off your shoes before you go in, I don't want ya tracking dirt or dog shit inside"

"Okay"

The Fox enters the worker's bunkhouse and uses the facilities while the others talk amongst themselves in the other room.

The locals don't like the fact Tails gets to go on trips outside the city while they're stuck in the fields all day and night.

Tails gets out and dries off in the bathroom, when suddenly the same group of teenagers who roughed him up enter and circle around the short fox.

"Wow, Mr. Big Shot using the worker's bathroom, that's a surprise... Simian don't let you use his bathroom or something?" The leader asks

"Look, guys, lets not do this right now. I have a date and I gotta look good or else I'm gonna get rejected, come on" Tails mock pleads

"Smart ass, eh? I would've thought you'd learn what happens to ass kissers like you in The Brig" The leader's girlfriend says

"...last chance to walk away, honey"

The leader steps forward, until the bright lights go out in the bathroom and leave the group in total darkness. The fox uses his artificial intelligence device, The SAGE Program, to hack into the electrical grid and shut down the power.

Tails knocks everyone down quickly and escapes before anyone can catch him. He opens his phone and calls Manic, while running across the grass field.

The shouting is enough for the armed guards to leave the front gate before they can close it and inspect the commotion

"Alright, I got the guards' attention. Get in here!" Tails shouts into his cellphone

The green hedgehog uses the Jade and Sapphire Medallions' energy to race through the front gate unseen. His Neon trail dissolves just a millisecond before the guards look back.

"I'm in" Manic says, doing his best to stay hidden as he runs

"Come to the Blue Mansion in the east. That's her place"

"On my way"

Tails enters Cee's mansion through the front door, and Manic opens a window in the back to enter. They race through the massive property to find each other, shoes squeaking on the freshly waxed floors.

The duo bump into each other, fall down then desperately crawl towards one of the 12 bedrooms. Manic opens the door and throws himself towards a closet, while Tails jumps to his feet and closes the door.

Manic hides in the closet and shuts this door just before a guard walks by and knocks on the bedroom door

"Does Simian know you're here?"

"Of course he does, pal! He sent me here, and I thought Cee ran the show in this place? Huh?" Tails responds

The guard glares at the door "I can't wait til you give me a reason to shoot you, little bitch..."

Tails says goodbye to him and he stomps off through the marble hallway, so thefox turns to the closet door.

"...alright, just stay hidden til I give you the signal" Tails says

"Uh, what's the signal, again?" Manic asks, voice slightly muffled behind the closet door

"You kidding me? I just told you like 20 minutes ago!"

"Refresh my memory, good sir"

"I let SAGE's alarm blare out twice"

"Sounds convoluted, how 'bout you just do that pussy-scream you're really good at, that'll let me know you're in trouble"

Tails looks at the closet door "What are you talking about?!"

"Y'know, that real screechy scream you always do, the one that makes you sound like you haven't hit puberty yet"

"...fuck you, you're a dick"

Manic quietly laughs "I aim to please, my good friend. Now go get that blondie so we can get outta here"

Tails walks out of the room and heads into the hallway to find Cee

He jumps back when she and a massive individual in all black nearly bump into him

"Tails, hi! I heard about the accident, are you okay? I'm so glad to see you!"

Cee wraps her arms around the fox then whispers "Help"

Tails looks at the freakishly large individual "...whose your friend, Cee?"

"You can just call me _**Ox**_"

"Ox, huh. You, uh - live here?"

"You could say that I come back here to check in on our mutual acquaintance"

Tails thinks about this then looks at Cee, and she nods her head to confirm his assumption.

"...I'm guessing you don't play well with others" Tails says

Ox leans down to pick up a metal crate "I'll show you what I do for a living, kid"

He opens the crate, a skull falls out and rolls across the tile floor

"WHAT the hell, is that real?!" Tails asks as he jumps back

"Damn right it is. My newest trophy"

"You collect those things?! Jesus!"

"Yep. Bone collector. They serve as payment in my profession. Understand?"

Terrified, Tails nods his head at the scary individual

"...I sense something, Fox"

"If it's fear, you got me on that one, I'm scared shitless at the moment, sir"

"Not just your cowardice, you are hiding something. Someone. Aren't you?" Ox demands

"N-no, what makes you say that?"

"You're sweating like a lying son of a bitch, kid, that's what makes me say that. You aren't the only one who walked outta that accident... where is the Elemental?"

"I-I, I don't what you're-"

Ox lunges towards Tails, so he releases Cee's hand and lets out a very screechy scream of terror, giving Manic the signal to attack.

A ball of Jade Energy smashes through the wall and knocks Ox 30 feet down the marble hallway.

"Bullseye, BITCH! WOOO!" Manic shouts "Oh, good scream, by the way, really captures your emotions"

"Mock me later, we gotta break these workers outta here!" Tails says

Cee looks at Manic "You - just shot green energy out of your hands!"

"That's right, sister. Manic's the name, I'm here to break you out"

"Escape Genocide City? I can't leave, Simian will never allow it!" she exclaims

"Girl, you won't ever have to worry about that fat pile of dog shit after tonight. Now come on, lets move!"

Tails picks Cee up and flies out of the Mansion, while Manic races through the dark compound and searches for the worker's bunkhouse.

Ox groans as he sits up and grabs his radio "Hit the alarms! There's a breakout in progress!"

Suddenly, the entire city is woken by loud tornado alarms and flood lights turning on.

"Great, now there's that.." Manic says to himself

A guard in a watch tower points his gun at him "There! An Elemental!"

Manic dodges bullets as he unlocks the bunkhouses and releases the prisoners inside. He fires energy blasts back at the guards and blows up a few watchtowers.

"Run, you idiots! Go!"

Up in his executive suite, Simian watches the action on his security monitors in absolute anger

"Those dirty little bastards! They double crossed me! Fuck!"

Guards report to the boss through their portable radios as they try to regain control of the compound

(_Sir, the Fox took Cee and he's gone_)

"That little shit!"

(_Also, the hedgehog with the Medallions has escaped, as well_)

"Manic, you sly prick!"

(_We got 2 dozen guards down, sir_)

"Oh, of course we do..."

(_So far, 30 workers are confirmed dead_)

Simian sits in his office chair "...take their belongings, that will cover the damage. And throw 'em in the incinerator, we can use their skin as fuel"

The fat Warthog gets a call from Ox so he sighs and answers

"Boss, they suckered me"

"I don't care how they were able to get past you, I just want them found. Bring Manic and Tails back dead or alive, but do not harm Cee. She's the most important one"

"...understood"

"Don't call me unless you have them"

Simian hangs up and looks out the window that oversees New Genocide City

"You little shits just killed yourselves. I'm going to skin you alive next time I see you"

After racing away from New Genocide City as quickly as possible, Tails and Cee land in a small town to take a break. He calls Manic and buys two cans of soda while they wait.

Cee takes a drink and her eyes widen "This is very sweet! I like it!"

"It's just soda, nothing special" Tails says

"...I've never had a soda before"

"What?"

"I was never allowed to drink anything sweet, only water"

"Simian, that fat piece of SHIT!... well, you can have all the sweet things you want, now Cee"

She smiles as she grasps Tails hand, making the Fox' face turn red

Suddenly, Manic sneaks up on the couple and scares them both as he shouts and laughs as he hugs them both

"What's going on, love birds, I hope I'm not interrupting"

Tails shrugs his arm off his shoulder "No, not at all..."

"Aw, is little man still upset? I'm sorry, _My-My_"

Manic playfully puts Tails in a headlock and lightly smacks him

"Ow, Manic, stop, seriously! You're such a dick!"

He releases him "I'm just playing around, bro, no need to get all pissy on me"

Tails looks at Cee "This is what I have to put up with"

Manic extends his hand "I'm Sonic's brother, in case Tails didn't mention. He was a bit of a buzzkill, ma'am, nothing special"

Cee shakes his hand "I've seem you on TV, both of you, I think you're great"

Manic looks at Tails "Finally, a little respect! Why, thank you, miss"

Tails waves this off "Look, we need to disappear. Lets figure out where we are and go from there"

"I thought you could just fly up really high and figure out where we are? Or, does that only work if you piss your pants in fright like you did earlier?"

Tails faces Manic "I don't know why you're being a dick right now, but I'm willing to bet it has to do with your Medallions. So, until you take them off and act normal, I'm not gonna talk to you"

The teenage fox grabs Cee's hand and they walk away from Manic, so he shrugs this off and pulls out his headphones

"Yeah, well, good thing I wanted to listen to music, anyway. I'm tired of your nagging, bro. Lighten up. We're home free!"


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5: A Friendly Reminder_

**1 HOUR LATER**

"...and then we beat the crap outta these fake ass posers from Metropolis, right Tails?" Manic asks

The Fox sighs "Uh-huh. Yes we did"

Manic starts punching the air mockingly "Yeah, I walked up and I was like pow-pow-pow! Three quick ones, left, right, left! That fat bastard didn't know what hit him! I couldn't drop him, but I knocked that smile off his ugly mug! Tell her, T"

"Yep, happened _exactly_ like that..."

Manic shoots a Neon Green ball of energy into the night sky

"I set that shit off like I did on New Years, Cee! Speaking of New Years, remember when I whooped everyone's asses that night, Tails? That was great!"

"I don't think you should shoot off your energy, Manic..." Tails advises

"What, like this?"

He fires another one into the sky

"Yes, stop doing that! You're gonna attract attention!"

"You worry too much, T! We're good! (Laughs) Yo, Cee, this actually reminds me of that time these guys Hazard kidnaped Tails, here. He's kicking and screaming and you know, going through the motions. Anyways..."

Cee listens to the green hedgehog's story but notices Tails isn't too interested in what he has to say.

"...is everything alright with you guys?"

Manic and Tails look at each other for a moment, then turn back to Cee

"Fine"

"Good"

The Blonde haired hedgehog looks at them "Come on, I can tell something is going on between you two"

"It ain't me with the problem, that honor belongs to Mr. Prower, here"

"Oh, fuck off! I'm not the one whose been an absolute asshole to the only guy who's had your back this entire time!"

"Bro, you said we could trust Cass, now she's out with fuckface using MY Medallion and there's nothing I can do about it because I have no clue where she is! How about that one? Huh? What's your stupid ass answer that that?" Manic asks

"Have you ever considered why she ran off with him? You think 'shit, maybe I should treat my friends better?' No, you don't! Ever since we got down here, you've changed, you've been nothing but an egotistical douche!"

Manic looks away from Tails in anger

"...you can't blame everyone else for all the shitty things that have happened in your life, Manic. And I'm sick of being brought down because of you"

Manic pushes the Fox "Ah, yeah? Well how 'bout we settle this right now?!"

"...that's all you had to say"

Cee jumps in between them "**STOP!** Please, don't fight!"

She puts each hand Manic and Tails' chests to keep them apart, while the green hedgehog glares intently at the teenage Fox

"...we get back to town, and that's it between us, Prower. We're done"

"We were done the second you got us into that stupid contest"

"Yeah well, don't worry, I won't drag you into anymore of my bullshit, kid. You can go ahead and live the perfect life you've always wanted..."

"I will"

Manic pulls away from Cee and he starts walking down a dark pathway. Tails shakes this off and follows close behind.

The trio enter what they believe is a shortcut, a long trail that goes downhill. They walk down a brick pathway, with only 2 street lights illuminating the area. Tall trees surround the brick path and nothing else can be seen past the woodland. Manic and Tails pull out their phones, switch on their built-in flashlights and use this light to see where they are going.

Manic is just about to put his headphones back in, but he hears sticks crunching in the woodland, coming from the left side.

Someone is running through the darkness and aiming for them.

"GET BACK!"

Suddenly, Tails is tackled out of the light and falls down a dirt hill, while Manic looks out for the attacker

"TAILS!" Manic and Cee shout

"I'm okay! Just get the bastard!" He yells back

Manic is sliced across the back of his right leg and blood spills on the brick pathway, while the attacker quickly grabs Cee and keeps the blade to her throat

"Easy, now, boy! Easy! Just chill out, we don't want this knife to slip, now"

Manic growls angrily "Hey, _badass_, come put that blade to my throat! Come on, leave her outta this! You wanna fight? Lets fight!"

The attacker is wearing a mask which covers half of his face, he has long dreadlocked hair that dangles down and has an athletic build.

His Navy blue attire looks to be a uniform of some kind, which makes Manic assume he is trained.

"Look, pal, just let the girl go and we can do this, man to man. Alright?"

"I don't want to fight. I just want the money back, then I'm gone"

Manic pauses "...what money? The hell are you talkin' about?"

"_**DON'T**_ \- just don't do that. Hand it over and we can all go home safe" The attacker says

"Bro, I don't know what money you're talking about! On my life, I don't know!"

"Allman Grey! You robbed him a few hours ago!"

"Bro, I didn't rob anyone! At least, I didn't rob anybody today"

"I don't care, kid. Just give me the money and you'll never have to see my face again"

"...wait, are you looking for a green hedgehog with a glowing Medallion?" Manic asks

"Yeah, that's YOU, smartass!"

Manic puts his hands up defensively "You probably won't believe me, but there is another green hedgehog out there who STOLE my Medallion. His name is Scourge, and he's the one you're looking for, not me! Alright?"

"Bullshit!"

"Not this time, pal"

The group get quiet as they wait to see what the attacker will do. He thinks about this and slowly starts to realize Manic is telling the truth.

He lowers the knife away from Cee's throat and takes two steps away from the blonde hedgehog

Then Tails flies out of the shadows and grabs the attacker

They fly up into the night sky "Get her outta here, Manic! Go!"

"Tails, what the fuck are you doing?!"

The Fox gains altitude and gets the attacker far from his friends

He spots a sports car parked one block away from the path and realizes this is the attacker's vehicle

"...take his car!" Tails shouts, barely audible in the distance

"What car are you-" Manic looks up and sees the headlights "...that car, right"

Manic grabs Cee's hand and they run back up the brick path, reach the street and open the doors to get inside this silver 4 door.

The green hedgehog puts the car in neutral and stomps on the gas pedal, causing the car's engine to roar as the horsepower kicks in.

Meanwhile, Tails throws the attacker at a nearby building and he breaks through a glass window. As he slides across the floor, tiny glass shards get lodged into his forearms and upper back. A loud alarm goes off and the local police department is called.

Tails flies away from the building before anyone can I.D him, while the attacker looks out the broken window and watches the teenage fox escape.

"Little bastard..."

The teenage Fox soars past the forrest area as fast as he can, trying to escape the city quickly.

He hears a voice shouting to him, so he descends back to street level

"...Tails!... TAILS!" A male voice calls out, slowly getting louder "Over here!"

The Fox looks down "...Beni? Is that you?"

"Yeah, man, wait up!"

Tails lands on the sidewalk and approaches a short, greenish-blue Crow, nicknamed B.B by his friends

"Dude, what're you doing out here?" Tails asks

"I saw that Neon shit from Manic's Medallion and I followed it for as long as I could, bro! Tails, you guys have SO MUCH heat on you, that's why we had to find you before anyone else!" B.B answers

The Fox looks over and spots another one of his old friends, the tall hedgehog Thompson, leaning out the window of his blue 4x4 truck

"Guys, we can't stay 'round these parts, lets move!" Thompson shouts

"He's right, c'mon"

The Fox and Crow jump into the back seats of the truck and Thompson steps on the gas pedal.

"Where is Manic?" B.B asks

Tails pulls out his cellphone "I'm not sure, let me call him"

While he waits for the green hedgehog to pick up, Tails looks out his window as the 4x4 races out of Casinopolis and down a very long highway. Thick, white clouds form over the night sky and snow falls very fast, forcing Thompson to switch on his windshield wipers so he can see.

B.B hops into the passenger seat "Lets get the heat going, man, I'm freezing my ass off!"

Thompson grabs his wrist "No, wait, don't touch that!"

The Crow turns the knob slightly and the truck's battery instantly shuts off. Thompson's 4x4 slows down and comes to a stop in the middle lane of the busy highway.

"...what the hell just happened?" Tails asks

"My truck's taken some hits and now, if anything but the ignition is turned on, the battery cuts off. I need to get it looked at" Thompson says while trying to start up the vehicle "...I fucking told B.B that before we left, I don't know why you just touched my shit!"

The Crow puts his hands up "Sorry, man! I forgot!"

Tails looks out the back window and sees the headlights of oncoming traffic making their way directly towards them.

"Uh, can you get this truck off the road? We're right in the path of other speeding vehicles!"

"I'm trying!"

"Try harder!"

"B.B, shut the fuck up!"

The Fox looks out and sees the incoming vehicles are 18 wheelers and by now they are honking their loud horns as they get closer

"Those Rigs can't slow down at this speed, Thompson, they'll rip through us like tinfoil, COME ON!" Tails shouts

B.B grasps both their hands "We're gonna DIE!"

The tall hedgehog finally gets the engine to start up once more, then pulls his hand out of B.B's grasp

"Get your shitty hand away from me!"

He steps on the pedal and the truck speeds off the highway just as the massive 18 wheelers blast through where they just were a second before. Thompson pulls the truck over to the shoulder lane of the highway and all three friends let out a sigh of relief.

"...that was intense" B.B says

Thompson gives him a pissed off look, so The Crow jumps out of the passenger seat and sits in the back, while Tails sits up front.

"Let's just get back to Metropolis and figure this out in the morning. I'm too tired for anymore of this shit" Thompson says

Tails nods "I agree"

They get back into the highway and race down the long stretch of lanes, now slick from the snow fall. Tails leans his seat back and gets the first real bit of sleep he's had all week.

On the other side of Casinopolis, Manic drives the silver car he and Cee stole from their attacker. He sticks to the back streets to avoid being seen operating a vehicle without a liscence.

The last thing they need are the cops getting involved.

"It's been years since I've driven, Cee! ...won't take long for the fuzz to find out this ain't my ride. I think we should pull in somewhere for the night" Manic says

"Okay, if you think that's the best thing to do..." She says, looking out the passenger side window

"...you alright?"

"I'm fine"

"Hey, I didn't mean any of that shit earlier, Cee. I'm an asshole, I know. This ain't Tails' fault, I dragged him into this"

The blonde haired hedgehog looks at him "Tails is a good guy, Manic. He's had nothing but good things to say about you all night"

The green hedgehog sighs "Yeah, I know... look, I'm a terrible friend to him. But I won't let anything bad happen to him. Or you. I just made him that promise to keep you safe, and I like to keep my promises"

She smiles, then notices the snow falling from the sky

"Wow!"

"What?" Manic asks, looking at her and then back at the road

"I've always seen it snow on christmas movies, but never actually seen it in real life!..."

"They don't get snow in Genocide City?"

"No. It's boiling hot all year 'round"

"Sounds like my type of place... well, minus the homicidal warlords and armed guards"

Cee turns back to him "Manic, I've always dreamt of leaving New Genocide City my whole life, and now that I'm finally free, I don't know what to say... thank you"

Cee leans over and kisses Manic on the cheek to show her appreciation, and he grins

"Hey, I see a gas station, lets go buy some munchies for the night. We'll look for a place to park this car and get some sleep"

After a quick stop in the 24 hour gas bar, Manic and Cee pack the back seats full with various snacks, tall cans and a few bottles of water.

They drive out of town, through some dark back roads, then Manic finds the perfect spot to park for the night.

He drives the silver car up a dirt hill, then pulls up behind a tall billboard, advertising a nearby fast food restaurant.

"Alright, this billboard should cover us for the night" Manic says "Now, lets just uh... chill out, I guess"

Cee pulls out another sugary can of soda, while Manic opens a tall can of a mixed alcoholic beverage.

"What is that?" Cee asks

"Huh? Oh, this? Whiskey and Cola mix. Much better than that pussy pop Tails bought for you"

"Better? I thought the soda was pretty good!"

Manic opens another tall can, takes the soda and gives her the mixed drink. He rolls down his window to throw the soda outside and rolls the window back up.

"Trust me, Cee. In our situation, you'll enjoy the Whiskey more"

"Alright"

She takes a drink and the burning sensation of the alcohol makes her choke up for a moment, while Manic laughs quietly as he drinks his can back no problem.

"Oh, wow!... that is (cough) very different from the soda..."

"You'll come to enjoy those eventually. I tend to sip on these when I get sick of regular beer"

"What is beer?" Cee asks

Manic laughs "We'll leave that for another day... for now, lets get this heat going, some tunes crankin' and enjoy the comfort of this stolen car"

The green hedgehog quickly turns knobs with his left hand and takes a drink of his tall can with his right.

The heat comes on and warms up the couple, then Manic looks to see if any radio stations will come in.

"Come on, gimme a signal!..."

After 24 stations of only static, the 25th one comes in perfectly

"_Schism_" by **Tool** plays

"Hell yeah!" Manic says as he turns up the volume knob

"...I hope Tails is okay" Cee says

Manic hesitates to answer "...he's a tough kid. He'll be just fine"

His cellphone vibrates again as Tails' number pops up, but Manic ignores his call, still upset over the argument he had with the Fox an hour ago.

**CENTRAL LION HOTEL, DOWNTOWN METROPOLIS**

Scourge stands before the balcony railing of his rented 18th floor luxury suite, and finishes his glass of wine. He throws the glass over the edge and leans against the railing to look over the city, unbothered by the heavy snowfall.

His girlfriend Cassia puts on a jacket and joins him in the dark balcony.

"...I like this place, Cass. Wine is cheap, everyone knows to fuck off and not ask questions... it's a haven for criminals" Scourge says, still enjoying the view "...not to mention the cops are easily persuaded with the right amount of cash. It feels like home"

The black haired hedgehog places her hand over top of his "It does... but you know he won't stop..."

"Who?"

They make eye contact, then Scourge realizes who she means

"Oh fuck, Manic is a punk! Always has been, always will be!... he should know what'll happen if he ever tries to fuck with me again"

"He should, but he doesn't... I know him. He'll come after you until he beats you"

She pulls out the Crystal Medallion "Not to mention, he wants this back"

Scourge looks at the glowing gem, then back at her

"... if you just gave me that, I could end this cat and mouse bullshit right now!"

Cassia pulls the Gem away "I'm sorry, but that's what messed you up last time!..."

Scourge looks over the city again "Then, what should I do?"

"Kill him. It's the only way to stop Manic for good"

"Yeah? He has both the Jade and Sapphire Medallions! I can't take him with just one Gem!..."

"I have an idea"

Scourge looks at her "Tell me"

"...according to a well connected friend of mine, that fat bastard Simian is looking for Manic and Tails-"

"Yeah, so? They can still easily beat him"

"...and Allman Grey thinks Manic robbed him yesterday, not you. They said he's sending some hit squad after him"

"Alright, so he's got his hands full. How is that-"

"Well, Sleet is still looking for you and he has a giant crew looking everywhere... I think, if we can get Manic in the same place as these other gangs, we can rattle the cage enough for them to all go against Manic. We won't even have to do a thing! Just wait til they kill him, then take the Gems and leave for good" Cassia says

"...that actually, isn't a bad plan"

Cassia smiles and kisses Scourge "Just let me do all the thinking from now on, and we'll be alright, babe"

"Yes, ma'am"

With a solid plan ready to execute in the morning, Scourge picks his girlfriend up, takes her back inside his suite and slams the balcony door closed for the night.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6: The Old Familiar Places_

Manic is woken up by his cellphone ringing, this time it's his Mentor, and father-figure, Farrell calling him. He sits up in the driver's seat and answers the call.

"Hey there, Pops"

"What kinda shit are you into now, boy?" The older hedgehog asks "I got your Fox buddy here saying all kinds of crazy things!"

Manic's eyes widen "The hell is he saying about me?!"

Tails gets close to Farrell's phone "I told him the truth! You started this whole thing when you agreed to be in that stupid contest!"

"What the hell, Pops? You got me on speakerphone?"

"All your buddies came by talking crazy, so I wanted to have a group discussion" Farrell says

Manic sighs "Who is all there?"

"It's me, the fox, B.B and Thompson"

"Oh, hey guys. Tom, where is Mickie?"

The tall hedgehog hesitates to answer "...we're taking a break..."

"That's nice. Say, you wouldn't happen to be in the business of believing in bullshit, now would ya?" Manic asks

Thompson looks at the group, then speaks "Umm, no?"

"Right, then why are you listening to Tails' one sided, and fairly untruthful version of this story?"

"Don't even start with that shit, Manic, you know DAMN WELL how this was started!" Tails shouts

"Yeah, it started with me trying to get my dead brother's Medallion back, the same brother who saved your nerdy ass all those times! I told you it wasn't a good idea to come along, but you insisted that you could help me and surprise! (Gasps mockingly) you managed to do FUCK ALL! Seriously, T, I think you might've made things worse, buddy. So, you can get off your high horse and check that attitude at the door"

"What are you even talking about?! Can't you see that I'm the ONLY one whose been helping you this entire time, even after the shit you dragged me into?! I understand you're mad about Sonic's Medallion but you're projecting that anger onto the wrong side. We're on YOUR side, Manic!" Tails says

Farrell nods "The kids' right. They're here to help you, and you'd better watch the way you fuckin' treat your friends. I didn't raise you to be like that, boy... ain't nobody else gonna have your back out there, so relax, Manny. We need ya here"

The green hedgehog looks out the car window "...alright. I'll meet you in Metropolis. Just hang tight, try not to give each other too many hickies and wait for my call"

"You're such an asshole..."

"Love you guys, too"

Manic hangs up and yawns as he starts up the ignition. Cee wakes up just as the car drives down the dirt hill and back onto the asphalt. She rubs her eyes and puts her hand on her forehead, currently trying to nurse this headache away.

"Are you supposed to feel this terrible after drinking alcohol?" Cee asks

"Not every time. Depends on if you ate before you start drinking"

"What is this feeling?"

"You're hung over. Alcohol dehydrates you. Drink some water, eat something. Get some more sleep, too. You should feel better soon. We're in for a long ride"

"Where are we going?"

"We're going back to where I grew up. Metropolis"

The blonde hedgehog drinks an entire bottle of water and falls asleep once more as Manic drives the stolen car down the highway, careful not to get spotted but police. He turns the radio on but the reception isn't great, forcing him to flip through various stations once again.

"_Albatross_" by **Big Wreck** suddenly plays loudly over the radio

The green hedgehog grind and leans back in the driver's seat, driving up a massive hill while the sun rises in the distance.

**2 HOURS LATER**

After driving the stolen vehicle into a parking lot and torching it, Manic walks Cee through the suburban neighbourhoods of Metropolis on their way to meet Tails. While many citizens recognize the green hedgehog, half of them wave, the other half give him dirty looks and show their disapproval as he walks by.

His public image has always garnered mixed reactions, probably because he's not the most _conventional_ hero on Mobius.

He definitely is not his brother.

One phone call later, Manic and Cee wait in a large park for the teenage fox and the rest of Manic's friends. Tails, B.B, Thompson and Farrell arrive, still tired out from the previous nights' activities.

Tails steps up "...so, what's the plan?"

"I am sick of playing a metaphorical game of footsies with this slimeball. We're gonna find Scourge and take him down. That's my plan, little man"

"Okay, so how do we find him?" B.B asks

"Well, I'm sure someone will give us a tip. I mean, we can't be the only ones he's screwed over"

"There is word going around about a robbery Scourge committed. The one he pinned on you, Manic" B.B says

Tails interrupts "Wait, so you really think someone is gonna come up and tell you where Scourge is? Just like that?"

Manic nods "All part of the plan"

"Oi, Manic!" A male voice with a thick Australian accent shouts

The group turn around and are met by Bark the Polar Bear, an old rival from a team Manic, Tails, Amy and Knuckles helped put in jail.

The large bear did 18 months inside and was let out early for good behaviour.

"Bark? They let you out early?" Tails asks

Manic pushes him aside and his Jade Medallion start to glow "You wanna pick up where we left off? I got a few new tricks I'd like to show ya!"

The Polar Bear puts his hands up defensively "Aye, I ain't here to fight'ya! Scourge's men picked me up at the gates, sent me to deliver'a message!"

Manic puts his glowing fists down "Oh. What's the message?"

"He said, "Come meet me at The Foundation" Well, he also said some other crazy things but that's the main point, 'kay?"

"...give us a second to talk about this"

Manic, Tails, B.B, Thompson and Cee huddle together in a circle

"What's the play?" Thompson asks

"I say you guys go in first and I'll cover the outside" Manic says

The guys jump back "_What?!_"

"Kidding, jeez! I'll go in first and kick his greasy ass back to the 50's"

"You know this is a trap, Manic. He'll have guys waiting" Tails says

"Yeah, no shit, Prower. That's why I said I'M going in. I don't want the rest of you getting caught up in anymore of my bullshit, mostly because I'm sick of hearing you complain about it"

"It's way too late for that, now" The fox responds

"Yeah, and we're the only ones dumb enough to back you up" Thompson says

Manic grins at his friends and everyone turns back to Bark

"Alright, good sir. You tell Scourge we'll be there. And he'd better have some of the meanest, toughest bastards waiting 'cuz we're coming in swinging! Got it?"

"Yeah, ah'right, I'll tell'em" Bark replies "...I just want ya's to know I ain't part of this shit, got me? His boys put me up to it, and I'm gettin' outta town after this"

"Had enough of the life, huh" Manic says

"Trust me, when you're doing time inside, you'll do anything to stay free. I ain't never goin' back"

"Ah'right den, _Aussie_. Oil see ya back in the land down under!" Manic mocks

"Did you just try to do my accent?"

"Yeah, how's it sound?"

"Like an Irishman tryna squeeze out a rough shit, ya green prick!" Bark responds

Manic waves to the Polar Bear as he leaves, then faces his Mentor

"Yo, Pops, I need ya to take care of my girl Cee"

Tails eyes' widen "_Your_ girl?"

"Yeah, that's what I said"

The fox looks at Cee, then Farrell escorts her into his car and they drive off.

"C'mon, gentlemen. It's good day to die"

Tails gets in Manic's face "You knew I liked her, you asshole"

He smiles at the short fox "Great, yes, get mad. Use that anger on those henchmen we have to fight. You'll need everything you got to survive, T"

Tails scoffs and jumps inside Thompson's Pickup Truck. The tall hedgehog sits in the driver's seat, Manic sits shotgun, Tails behind him and B.B sits behind the driver.

Usually the friends can't stop talking, but today, they share a feeling of dread, so they remain quiet and think to themselves for the entire ride.

They reach The Foundation and Thompson shuts off the engine. Manic turns to his friends for a final comment before they head in.

"I uh, ...let's go kick some ass, huh. Hurt as many of them as you can... You know the score. Let's sweep these fuckers"

Tails looks at his friend, visibly shaking, and he wonders if he's ready for this.

Not once has he ever seen Manic scared or intimidated, but this sure looks like it to him.

The group enters an old brick building, 3 storeys high, graffiti ridden and plenty of holes in the walls. A glorified flop house in the sketchiest part of town,

Perfect place for the upcoming violence.

As Manic pushes the front door open, day light shines through the otherwise dark flophouse and illuminates the beaten up interior. The group follow a series of spray painted arrows throughout the walls, leading down to the massive basement, deep underground. Tails covers his nose as a rotten smell lingers throughout, the deeper they go. Manic, B.B and Thompson are used to these conditions so they walk down the staircase unaffected.

They walk through broken concrete and eventually reach a tunnel, which looks and smells much better than the basement they just passed. There are two platforms high above them, and movement in the shadows can be seen.

"Come on, boys, get out here and let's get this shit started!" Manic shouts

"Manic!" A deep voice echoes throughout the tunnels

The green hedgehog looks up at one of the metal platforms and locks eyes with Ox, then waves to him sarcastically

"Hey, pal! Remember when I blasted you down that hallway? Good times!"

"I'm bringing your punk ass back to Simian! You and that little faggot Tails!"

A separate door is swung open and everyone turns to the opposite side of the tunnel platform

Sleet enters "They're not going anywhere with you. At least, not until we get the money and the Medallions back"

The MMA girls surround the older Wolf and he crosses his arms

"Hey, piss off, old man! These idiots are coming with me!" Ox shouts

As both sides argue, a third party enters from the third platform high above the ground.

Manic and Tails recognize the mysterious soldier in his blue camouflage uniform, but this time he has backup.

"You amateurs can go home now, the professionals are here"

Ox and Sleet look at the soldier "Alister?"

"That's right, wimps. Prower and Dumbo are coming with us"

Ox shakes his head "We didn't come all this way to leave empty handed, asshole!"

"Your boss will have to sit this one out, boys. Manic and Tails are mine!" Sleet says

Manic chuckles quietly and Tails looks at him "Dude, what's so funny, we've got three parties after us!"

"I'll tell ya what's funny, bro. These douchebags are about to fight each other over me and you! This is great!"

As Manic laughs, he doesn't see Scourge kick open the back door and race towards him. He tackles Manic and uses his body as a battering ram as they crash through a steel wall, tearing the metal sheets apart.

This is the cue for all the gangs to start fighting, and The Foundation starts to rumble as everyone brawls.

Manic slides across the concrete floor and tries to fire an energy blast, but realizes Scourge snatched his two Medallions during the scuffle.

Scourge puts the gems away "Why do you always gotta make this harder than it needs to be?! Why can't you just DIE?!"

"I guess I just like to piss off all the dipshits in the world like you!"

"Yeah, maybe that's why Sonic got killed, always trying to be a hero! ...shit, I kicked his ass and I kicked yours, as well! Maybe this time your bitch ass will stay down"

Manic puts his fists up "I'd love to see you try"

Scourge rushes in but Manic dodges every attack, knowing he could use the Medallions anytime. He steps to the left, throws a punch, dodges back right and roundhouse kicks Scourge across the face.

Scourge covers his face and turns his back, giving Manic a chance to reach into his backpack and yank one of the Medallions out.

Before he can use it on his opponent, Scourge takes off running through the tunnels to avoid the Jade Energy.

"Ah Yeah, What was that about being a bitch?! Where ya going? I ain't finished with you yet!" Manic calls out "Come on, tough guy! Thought you said you could kick my ass!"

Manic chases Scourge through the dark tunnels, their shoes make a loud clanging sound as they run. Scourge says nothing while Manic continues to shout seemingly every curse word he can think of.

Then they reach the end of the tunnel

5 of Scourge's men, all wearing masks, stand on a platform above Manic. They each hold a harpoon gun and fire one right after the other.

Manic shouts in pain as each harpoon rips into both his arms. He drops his Medallion and growls in agony.

Even with his Jade Energy, this pain is too much to handle.

Scourge comes out of the shadows and slowly makes his way back to Manic, totally defenceless as his arms are strung up.

"...you really _are_ dumb as fuck, huh"

Manic can't do anything as Scourge picks up the Jade Medallion, then begins punching him dozens of times, drawing even more blood from his mouth and nose. He ends his combination with a thrust kick to the abdomen, and Manic drops down to both knees.

He coughs up blood before speaking "..once again, you prove you can't beat me fair.."

Scourge snap kicks him across the face and even more blood splatters against the wall

"...there's no such thing as fair, these days. Not for us"

The masked men on the platform hold the harpoon wires still, keeping Manic's arms raised above his head. By now, he's lost so much blood that he is weak and he slouches over, but Scourge's men raise the wires to keep him up.

The only thing Manic can do is clear his throat of as much blood as possible, while his mortal enemy smirks.

"Cassia, come out here and see how much I've beaten this pathetic piece of shit"

Scourge looks at the Jade and Sapphire Medallions he's just acquired, while his girlfriend joins him with the Crystal Gem.

It takes the evil green hedgehog a second to rip the gem out of her hands and blast Neon Energy through her torso, the exact same way she did to him.

Manic's jaw drops

**"CASS!"**

The air quickly leaves her lungs and she drops down to the cold floor, grasping her wound while Scourge looks over her.

"Did you think I was gonna let that shit go?! HUH?! YOU TRIED TO KILL ME! Yeah, does that feel good?"

Scourge steps away from Cassia and turns to face his men

"...I want you to know that I never loved you, Cassia. How could anyone love a fucked up freak like you? Seriously? ...you can have her, Manic. But what kinda consolation is she, now..."

Manic tries to get lose and help the black haired hedgehog, but the harpoons are deep into his arms and prevent him from moving. She coughs up blood and spends her final moments looking at him with pain in her eyes.

Scourge grasps the shoulder of one of his men "...waste him. Don't leave 'til you _know_ he's dead"

Manic feels his cellphone vibrate inside his pocket, and the ringtone tells him it's Tails calling.

"_Room a thousand years Wide_" by **Soundgarden** plays on his phone

3 masked men jump off the platform while 2 stay above to hold the wires, but Manic doesn't give them a chance to attack. He uses all his strength to rip the harpoon guns out of their hands and he gets to his feet as the rage takes over.

He dodges a knife, pushes the blade back to the thug and kicks the handle, piercing his chest and killing him instantly.

The next thug pulls out a pistol but misses every shot as Manic uses spinning acrobat techniques to avoid the bullets. He lands on his feet, karate chops the third thug in the throat, takes his knife and runs toward his partner. He slices the thug's wrist, forcing him to drop the gun and cover the wound, until Manic kicks him in the face.

"Get down here!" The third thug shouts to his partners on the platform

They jump down and circle Manic on all sides, so he throws the knife at the first one, side thrust-kicks the second in the stomach and ducks under a knife slash.

He shoulder tackles the third thug, but then the second pulls the harpoon wires, still dangling from his arms, and drags him away from his partner.

Manic runs at him, elbows him twice, then smashes a harpoon gun into his face, knocking some teeth out.

He turns around, grabs the wires and swings the other guns like bull whips at the next thug, knocking him out instantly.

The remaining henchman holds his knife up but isn't as confident as he was a minute ago. Manic jumps up and knees him in the face to end the fight.

He breathes heavily and walks over to Cassia's body.

He pulls out his phone and answers the call

"Manic, are you alright?" Tails asks

"Nah..."

"What happened? Where are you?"

"...that piece of shit killed Cass. She's dead, man.."

"...we need to go, the cops are already outside. I'm sorry about Cassia, but there's nothing we can do, now. Come on. We're going to Thompson's"

Manic hangs up and puts his hand on the black haired hedgehog's forehead.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7: Curiosity_

"...you're gonna have to rephrase this for me, Scourge"

"Yeah, start from the beginning so that I know the whole story"

Sleet and Ox stand before the evil green hedgehog, now settled into his new luxury suite in downtown Metropolis.

He finishes a glass of Rum, slides it across the bar stand and a female bartender refills it.

"It's like this: you guys work for me and I'll let you keep your assets, but I get a piece of your action moving forward" Scourge says

Ox scoffs "I thought you said that. Well, I can tell you right now, I ain't giving you dick"

Sleet steps forward "I agree. You're not a boss. You're only allowed to operate because The Chambers are fond of your antics. If you weren't keeping the heat off of them, they'd have you clipped in an instant"

Scourge chuckles and pulls out the Jade, Crystal and Sapphire Medallions

"It seems like you guys aren't getting the point. Gimme your shit or you die"

Ox snarls "That's all I needed to fucking hear. You just started a war with Simian, you crazy, little shit!"

"WAIT-"

The Gems illuminate and Scourge fires a Tri-coloured Neon Beam at both gangsters. A blinding white light fills the room for a moment then it immediately disappears.

The only thing left of Sleet and Ox are their shoes.

Scourge puts the gems down and looks at his terrified bartender

"That's what happens if I don't get what I want, honey..."

He picks up his glass and takes a sip

"...So, no fuckups, alright?"

"Yes, sir"

"Good. Now, get big Simian on the phone for me. Then you can leave"

The female hedgehog pulls up Sargent Simian's number on a touchscreen device and calls it, then promptly heads out the door.

After 2 dial tones, the fat warlord picks up.

"Whaddya want, Scourge?" Simian asks

"Your guy just got smoked"

"OX?! I swear to Christ, if you-"

"I didn't touch him. Our mutual friends got to him on his way outta my building. Took baseball bats to him til he stopped breathing, the sick fucks...Those kids are fast"

Simian lets out a deep sigh, trying to keep his composure on the phone

"...Manic and Tails are fuckin' DEAD!"

"That's what we both can agree on. They gotta go in the ground. They won't stop... I want you to work with me. Like the old days in the Destructix. Before that bitch took it over"

"Ooh, I'd love to do Maggie Bloodmoon... but these assholes are up first. I'll come to you"

Scourge grins "Take your time... you probably won't believe me but, I'm sorry about your pal"

Simian clears his throat "Ox was a brother to me. He didn't deserve this... Manic and Tails are going to suffer ten times as much as he did"

"...see you soon"

The green hedgehog ends the call, puts his sunglasses on and takes his drink off the bar stand on his way out of his luxury suite.

All of his remaining men sit on a rooftop patio with the MMA girls who came with Sleet.

The sun shines off Scourge's aviator glasses and leather jacket as he joins the group

"Damn, it's nice out today. Perfect weather for a celebration, dont'cha think? I think so"

A tall MMA girl stands up "Where's Sleet?"

"...he's out of the picture. We came to an agreement that Sleet was too old and Ox, well, he's a sick bastard and his talents are needed for more dangerous assignments. So, I'd like to offer you girls a spot in my crew. We could use pretty faces like you"

"...are you serious?"

"100%"

"Why should we just drop everything and join you?"

"Well, ladies, because I just made the deal of the century. Me and Simian are merging our organizations, making this alliance the biggest, unchallenged syndicate in Metropolis... that means I own this town. I have everything I want"

The girls speak quietly while Scourge's men slowly realize they are going to be rich.

"...so what'll be, ladies?"

The leader of the girls picks up a bottle of Champagne "Let's party, Mr. Big Shot"

The guys cheer loudly and the girls pour drinks for everyone. A lackey plugs various speakers into a PA system and turns the volume all the way up

"_Pour Some Sugar On Me_" by **Def Leppard** blares through the downtown streets from the patio

Citizens call in noise complaints from all over town, but Scourge pays the cops to ignore them altogether.

The Metropolis police are easily swayed by money, it seems.

Down in the suburban neighbourhood known as Grounder's Patch, Thompson finishes burying the coffin that Cassia is laid in. The group couldn't get a proper funeral arranged in a graveyard, so they found a park nearby.

Manic knows Cassia deserves better than a hole dug under an oak tree but this is the best he can do for her, now.

The tall hedgehog steps away from the grave to give Tails, B.B, Farrell, Mickie and Manic a chance to pay their respects.

The loud 80's Rock Music ruins the funeral for Manic as he mourns his friend. He looks up and can tell which high rise building Scourge is in, no doubt crawling with security.

Both hired guns and police officers.

Mickie looks up at him "...do you wanna say anything?"

"...she was confused, but she was one of the good ones"

With this, Manic leaves the park and walks back to Farrell's house to drink, the only copping mechanism he has.

Mickie makes eye contact with her ex boyfriend for a moment, then they both look away

Tails approaches Thompson "You and Mick still not talking?"

"It's her choice. I told her a million times I wasn't messing around on her, but whatever. Girls are weird, bro"

"...but, weren't you like, texting 2 other girls at the same time?"

"We weren't flirting or anything, man! I've known these girls since I was a kid, if anything, they're like sisters, or close relatives to me!"

"That's still kinda shady"

"Whatever, screw you Tails, I don't gotta explain shit!"

The fox shrugs and walks over to the tiny Blue Crow B.B, and the older Grey hedgehog Farrell.

"Does he always drink away the pain?" Tails asks

Farrell sighs "Since he was 15. Manny's tough, but even a guy like him can't hide his feelings. He chooses to get tanked and listen to music all night... this girl was special to him, I know that. He's hurtin'..."

B.B looks at them "Should uh - should we go see him?"

"I wouldn't"

"Give him a day or two. That boy's gotta get his anger out, and you wouldn't wanna be around for that"

The group leave the park and head out in different directions. Tails sticks with Thompson, while B.B hangs with Mickie, and Farrell heads back to his house.

The smell of alcohol lingers through the 2 storey house, but the old hedgehog is used to this.

It's only been 5 minutes and Manic has already drunk 4 beers.

"Case is low. Better order another one" Farrell says as he picks up his home phone from the wall port

"Order some Whiskey. I really, really can't stand beer right now..." Manic says in a low voice

"Alright then. Might as well order a couple boxes of pizza, too"

"Thank you, Pops..."

Manic's father figure orders the alcohol, then the food and then opens the last two cans of beer. He hands one to the green hedgehog and sits at the table with him.

* * *

Just before sunset, Simian arrives to Scourge's penthouse and gets patted down by two equally large security guards. They confiscate his pistol and he walks in.

The fat warlord makes his way through a crowded hallway as the underlings party with the MMA girls and their friends. The music has gone from 80's hair metal to 90's gangsta rap.

Simian reaches Scourge's patio "This is how you're fishing out Manic and Tails? Throwing a fucking party?!"

"Relax, dude. My boys worked hard to get here, I'm just showing my appreciation. I have a plan"

"Care to explain it to me?"

The green hedgehog snaps his fingers and Bark the Polar Bear grudgingly walks to his side

"Hey fat ass! Go find the dipshit duo and tell them to come to this address" Scourge says

A female hedgehog gives Bark a small envelope and he puts it in his coat pocket.

He steps away to leave but Scourge whistles at him to turn around

"..and I want you to make a stop at the Fry Stand. Get us some food, fat boy! Try not to eat it all!"

"But, ain't there'a restaurant on the main floor, 'ere? Wha's wrong with that?"

Scourge glares at the Polar Bear, so he puts his hands up defensively and leaves the party.

"...god, I hate when pricks like that try to get smart. Like, if I tell you to do something, just do it! It's not that hard!..." Scourge complains

"You should watch the way you treat your guys. Never know when they'll turn on ya" Simian says "That's why my men never tried shit with me, I treat 'em good"

"Yeah, well, if anybody fucks with me, I'll send their ass straight to hell in a second. I'm not playing around with these bad boys" Scourge says as he shows off the three stolen Medallions

"Your crew is looking a lot smaller than the last time I saw you. Say, where's that black haired chick you were banging?"

Scourge takes another big drink "Cassia, ugh... she turned out to be a backstabbing bitch. Lied to me for almost a year, was best friends with Manic, tried to steal one of my Medallions, and set me up. See these scars? Her friends did this to me"

Simian looks at the three large scars across Scourge' chest "They sliced your ass up, damn"

"She put a hole through my chest, bro! The Medallions were the only thing that kept me alive. Then this slaughterhouse pussy cut me up... she came back and killed him, but I knew the score. I had to get her back. So I waited. And pretended to love her and all that shit, so she would trust me. When I got my chance, I put a hole through her, Sim. Tossed that garbage back to Manic when I was done"

"You know how fucked up that is?"

"One of my greatest accomplishments, in my opinion"

"Whatever, man.. so what's your plan?"

"Since my first crew couldn't do it, I'm sending a few elite guns in to cap Manic and Tails, while we sit back and drink our asses off. Go ahead, grab a drink and a girl. These bitches will do anything you want, bro"

Simian shrugs this off "No, I'M gonna be the one to kill those little shits. Where is the setup?"

Down on the streets, Bark searches for The Green Hedgehog and Teenage Fox.

He doesn't find them, but he bumps into B.B and Mickie, instantly recognizing them

"Aye! You're Manic's friends, init? I got something for 'em" Bark says

He takes the envelope and reads it

"What's this? Dinner date?" B.B asks sarcastically

"Nah, but Scourge wants him to meet up 'ere"

"...it's a setup, isn't it?" Mickie asks

"...at dis' point, I don't even care. Scourge is sending them into a trap and plans to kill 'em both. I ain't got nothing to do with it, lady. I just wanna go home"

"Yeah, right, fatty! You were part of Hazard, you're obviously part of Scourge's gang! You bad guys never change!" B.B shouts

Bark looks away and turns around to leave when Mickie calls out to him

"You don't have to be part of this life if you don't want to. You can change everything for the better"

"...I wish it were that simple, lady. I really do"

Mickie looks back at the address, then looks at the tiny crow

"Its a trap. Should we tell him anyway?" She asks

"...you know he won't stop either way. Let's go back"

The sun is still setting when Tails closes the blinds inside Thompson's living room and lays down on a long black leather couch.

He closes his eyes for about a minute before his phone vibrates

Manic texts him

_**I'm going down to a trap, if you're coming then let's go. If not, I understand.**_

_**I'm ending this shit tonight.**_

_**-M**_

"Ah, shit" Tails says

He jumps to his feet, grabs his A.I Hacking program and races out the door. He finds a very drunken Manic stumbling down the suburban streets carrying a bottle of Whiskey

"Manic, Hey! Stop!" Tails shouts

"Bro, I gotta end him. This is too much, Tails. I'm-I'm doing it, for real. Don't know why it took so long but I'm gonna kill Scourge. And that fat fuck Simian. And that rat piece of shit Sleet, and anybody else whose backing Scourge up!"

"Manic, you're way too drunk to do any of what you just said"

"Yeah, so what? I'll still beat their asses!"

"No, man, they'll kill you.."

"Then, fuck it! Let 'em do it! I'll go out fighting! Heard everybody wants me dead, lets do it! I don't care!"

"Manic, just chill out. I'll go with you, but you have to sober up first. That's the only way we'll beat Scourge"

The green hedgehog finishes the bottle of Whiskey, throws it on the street and burps

"Fine. I'll get some sleep. But I'm serious, bro, I'm finishing him"

"I know"

Tails walks Manic back to Thompson's house, puts the him on a second couch and he lays back down on the first one.

An hour and a half goes by when Manic wakes up the fox

"I'm straight, let's go"

"What? No way you're sober already!"

Manic drinks a glass of water and punches a hole in the drywall

"I said I'm good. Now, lets move"

Tails shakes his head and joins the green hedgehog. They walk from the quiet neighbourhood to the bright neon lit downtown. Manic pushes others out of his way while Tails apologizes for him as they make their way through the crowds.

They reach the address, a meat packaging plant, and both take deep breaths before entering.

"Come on out, slimeball!" Manic calls out

He and Tails are surprised when Sargent Simian pushes back the plastic curtains and faces them.

"Everybody's been trying to kill you little shits but nobody can do it... I will"

The front doors are slammed shut and remotely locks them in.

"I thought there were no hard feelings, Sim. Just business, remember" Manic says

"It stopped being about business when you two shitheads killed Ox"

"Okay, hold on, now. That's the second time we've been blamed for shit we didn't even do!"

"Don't you lie to my face! At least have the balls to admit it!"

"We're telling you the truth, Simian! We didn't kill Ox!" Tails shouts

"SHUT UP! You're both dying right now!"

The massive Warthog runs at the duo so they jump around the meat packaging plant to avoid him.

Manic kicks off the white brick wall, spins around and thrusts his left foot into Simian but he blocks this attack. Tails runs in with a flying knee strike to the side of Simian's kneecap, bending it slightly upon impact.

The Warthog groans and throws a back hand at the fox but he ducks down to avoid being hit.

Manic throws a furious combination of punches that strike the fat warlord's face, but he shrugs the pain off. Manic ducks a punch but doesn't expect a spinning backfist to hit him, knocking him backwards and crashing into a metal cart.

Simian swings at the fox so he jumps into the air to fly away, but the Warthog grabs one of his tails and slams him on the concrete floor.

Tails barely gets his hands up to block the three powerful punches Simian throws down at him

Manic kicks Simian in face to get his attention, only to be dropped by an equally powerful left handed punch. The hedgehog starts seeing stars from how hard this punch was, leaving him venerable to attack.

Tails smashes a metal pole off the back of Simian's head, only angering the giant.

He dodges the first punch, but Tails gets dropped by a powerful backhand square across his jaw.

"...I told Scourge you little shits were gonna suffer before I kill you-"

He throws Manic against the white tile wall and blood spills out of a wound on his head

"...and I intend on keeping my word"

Tails gets to all fours but Simian boots him as hard as he can in the stomach, causing the teenage fox to groan loudly

He punches Tails twice more, then Manic jumps up to save his friend,

Until Simian beats him back down to the floor with powerful punches to the face

"...you two think you're men? You're just boys going against a man! And THIS is what happens!"

Simian stomps on Manic's chest and grins his boot heel while punching Tails across the face once more. By now, Manic and Tails are bleeding and already starting to bruise up.

"...I already called in my boys, they got a couple blow torches and razor wire coming. You guys'll like what I got for ya's"

Manic coughs up blood and is too weak to stand, while Tails reaches into his pocket and pulls out his artifice intelligence device

"No, no, no, we ain't doing that"

Simian stomps on his wrist, causing him to scream in pain and release the SAGE program

"...you little fuckers aren't getting outta this one"

He knocks Tails out with a stomp to the head and kicks Manic in the body as he tries to stand up.

Car doors are shut just outside and other voices are heard getting closer

"In here boys!" Simian laughs

Manic's heart beats fast as he tries with everything he's got to get up, but his muscles just won't work.

The next few minutes are going to be the most painful for him and Tails.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter_ 8: Uncertainty_

Manic and Tails have their hands zip tied behind their backs as they sit back-to-back in the meat packaging plant. Dried blood stains the wooden chairs they're sitting on.

Simian lets his goons attack the defenceless duo, Tails taking punches from a skilled boxer while Manic gets his legs smashed with a long wrench. The pained groans only give their attackers more confidence to continue and laugh.

"Alright, enough foreplay. Let's get the show going" Simian orders

Manic and Tails' eyes widen once the giant Warthog picks up a blow torch from a table

"Now, this one's for Ox, you little SONS of bitches-"

Simian is caught off guard when one of his hooded goons suddenly shanks him in the gut, causing blood to spill all over the white tile floor.

Bark the Polar Bear pulls the hood off his head and attacks the entire gang, giving Manic and Tails a chance to recover.

It takes the Polar Bear just 15 seconds to beat the entire gang and send them running out of the building in terror.

"...ahoy there, gents. Feeling ah'right?" Bark says

Manic spits out blood "Took your fuckin' time, didn't ya..."

"It almost seems like you _wanted _Simian to kick our asses for a while" Tails says

"Well, it was sort'a satisfying to watch, gotta admit. Now, let's haul ass outta here, police are on their way"

Bark cuts their zip ties and helps them get back to their feet. Before they leave, Manic looks through a cupboard and grabs a few bottles of cleaning chemicals. He dumps everything all over his and Tails' spilled blood so police can't identify them through DNA samples.

The trio escape into the dark back streets just as the first police cruiser pulls up. The officers search the building but everyone who occupied it 10 minutes ago, are now long gone.

A cab arrives and Bark sits in the passenger seat while Manic and Tails get in the back. The driver looks at the duo, covered in blood and bruises, but doesn't say anything as they leave the north end of town.

It takes 15 minutes to get back to Farrell's house, but they discover the front door has been kicked in.

**"DAD?!"** Manic shouts

He rushes inside first, stumbles over smashed furniture and broken glass, but keeps searching the house.

He finds Farrell slumped over his fire place, just as bloody and beaten as the duo

But still alive

Manic kneels down next to Ferrell "Hey, you're alright, Pops, we're gettin' help"

"Ah, I'm fine... fuckers piled on me but none of that shit hurt. Can one of you pass me a beer from the fridge?" The older hedgehog asks

Bark looks around the kitchen but can't find any fridge, so he moves some debris out of the way and finds it flipped on it's side. He opens the door, grabs a six-pack and passes a tall can to Farrell.

"They really tore this place up, eh" Bark says

"Thanks for pointing that out, captain obvious. Pops, what the fuck happened?" Manic asks

Farrell takes a big drink before answering "...couple 'a cops busted in here, cracked me over the head with a billyclub... your girl took off to hide but they ripped this place apart looking for her. They kicked my ass, trying to get me to point her out, but I didn't say shit. (Sigh) ...didn't matter, they found her eventually.."

"Where is she?!"

"How in fucks' name should I know, boy?! These were dirty cops! She could be anywhere in this god damn town!"

"They took her to Scourge. And he's gonna give her back to Simian... they're in this together" Tails growls

Manic stands up "Bullshit, man, there's no way!"

Bark steps in between them "Yer boy's right. I was up there when Scourge an' Simian made the deal"

As Manic realizes what this means, Scourge meets Simian in a guarded compound on the opposite side of town. The fat Warthog holds a large bandage over his fresh wound, but continues to walk through the compound next to the evil hedgehog.

"You gonna live, fatass?" Scourge mockingly asks

"Fuck you. Did your guys get my prisoners or not?"

A thug opens a massive shipping container door and shines a light inside

Cee, along with 2 dozen other captives stand inside a large cage.

"It took a little while, but the boys in blue rounded up everyone they could find. Including that little blondie you were going on and on about" Scourge says

Simian walks to the cage bars and looks down at Cee, absolutely terrified after she's been brought back to the Warthog.

"...you did good, Slimeball"

"Course I did good, I'm the most reliable dude in this entire town"

With one last smile, Simian leaves Cee trembling as he exits the shipping container and slams the door shut behind him.

"I want a dozen more, Scourge. We have a lot of rebuilding to do" Simian demands

Scourge lights a cigarette "Dozen more, eh. That'll cost ya extra"

Simian motions for his crew to back a large, armoured track into the compound

"Money is no issue, greaseball. Just get my workers. I need Genocide City up and running NOW"

The evil hedgehog opens the back doors of the armoured truck and nods his head as he looks at stacks of Cash and Gold.

"You'll get your workers. I'll call ya when we got 'em"

Simian stops Scourge "I think I'll wait right here for you. I've got a lot of heat on me, out there. And, I wanna make sure you don't rip me off"

Scourge flashes a devilish smile "Aw, that's cute that you don't trust me. I need more business partners like you, pal"

Scourge laughs and signals for his crew to follow him

"Put everything in briefcases for me" Scourge says "Don't leave anything out"

One of his men from the bank job looks at him "Wait, ain't a portion of this goin' to the cop shop?"

Scourge takes another drag of his smoke "You know those guys? FUCK 'EM! I'm taking it all!"

"But, that ain't how it works, boss"

The evil hedgehog lets out an annoyed sigh "Rochelle, deal with these clowns for me, Christ..."

A tall female hedgehog from the MMA gym steps beside Scourge "Yes, boss"

The bank job thug looks at Scourge "CLOWN?!"

"THAT'S WHAT THE FUCK I JUST SAID! ...MOVE, NOW!"

"You really changed, bro..."

Scourge ignores his henchman and leaves his crew to load up the cash. He jumps in the back of a limousine and pops open a bottle of champagne as he is driven back to his luxury suite.

The first drink makes his head spin, so he rolls the window down to get some fresh air, observing the dark city streets as they drive around.

Back at Farrell's house, Bark put the kitchen table back together and set up 4 chairs. Manic and Farrell join the Polar Bear for a beer while Tails sips on some orange juice, trying to think of a plan.

"...I know where the lil' shit hangs out, he's got this compound. Stores a bunch of shit down there" Bark says

"I don't want his stuff, I want my Medallions, and I want him DEAD" Manic says angrily

Tails looks at him "Y-you mean you wanna murder him?"

"T, he killed Cass! Cut her down like it was nothing to him... He's dying for that, bro. I'm not fucking around anymore"

Farrell finishes his beer "Boy, you don't want that kinda heat on ya. I get it, I know how much you wanna kill that snake piece 'a shit, but you can't. They'll lock you up for life, Manic"

"Then what am I supposed to do? Bring him in for _justice?_ Huh?"

"Outsmart the bastard"

Manic sighs "...okay, I won't kill him. But I can't promise I won't break his legs, though"

"Good enough for me"

Tails types on his artificial intelligence program, and finds Scourge' exact location

"...our guy is safe and sound at home base. He's got a good portion of Metro PD protecting him, along with his own gang. Getting to him is going to be damn-near impossible" Tails says

Manic sighs "Just lovely..."

Bark finishes his beer "I can get those cops outta there"

"How?" Manic and Tails both ask

Bark opens the last beer and chugs it, while keeping eye contact with the duo

"...B, we can't ask you to do that. You just got out of jail!" Manic says

"-Not to mention that Simian would've told everyone you helped us escape by now. They'll kill you in there!"

Bark burps "Ah, I owe ya's one, after trying to kill you a few years back. I've got this"

After thinking it over, Manic nods at the Polar Bear and lets his new ally walk out the door. Bark lets out a ferocious roar and takes off running through the suburban neighbourhood with destruction on his mind.

"...We'll get our chance to break in once we hear sirens. Depending on how much shit Bark is able to stir up, those crooked cops may or not be called in to stop him" Tails says

"Then I guess that means we'd better gear-up and prepare for the worst"

After they wash the dried blood off, Manic and Tails find protective hand wraps, commonly used by boxers, and they wrap their arms and legs with the white strips.

The fox puts on two undershirts for a little more protection and covers it with a black button-up shirt. He wears matching black jeans and puts on one of Manic's old gold necklaces.

The green hedgehog digs through his closet and pulls out his black punk rock vest, grey hoody, grey skinny jeans and black converse sneakers, the outfit he wore in high school. He, too, wears a long gold chain around his neck, but this one is used as a weapon.

When both friends are ready, they walk out the door and into the street.

"Watch yourselves out there. I don't wanna be scraping you off the sidewalk" Farrell says

"Appreciate the vote of confidence, Pops" Manic says

"And grab me another six-pack, boy!"

Manic laughs looks at the fox

"You wanna do your flying thing and get us up there, my good sir"

"Don't get salty on me, you'll have your gems back soon enough" Tails jokes

He grabs Manic's forearm and flies him in the air. They make their way to Scourge's high rise building downtown.

By now, Bark has gotten dozens and dozens of 911 calls about his destructive antics around town, and the first police cruiser spots him smashing the front window of a house.

The officer shines a spotlight "Get on the ground!"

Bark drops his weapon, then quickly jumps on a motorcycle in the nearest garage and rides across the front lawn. The tires rip the grass out as he speeds away from the police cruiser, so the officer calls in backup.

"Yeah, that's right, come follow me" Bark says

He rides through town, smashing mailboxes as he goes by.

6 more cruisers join the chase and soon a helicopter shines a massive spotlight on him.

It doesn't take long for the crooked cops in Scourge's building to be called in.

"Where are you guys going?" Scourge asks

"Top brass is calling us in, we have to go" a dirty cop says

"Hey, I ain't paying ya to just run off on me!"

"Yeah, well, maybe your boyfriends can come protect you, Mr. Big Shot"

The 8 officers leave the luxury suite and hop into an elevator, while Scourge takes another drink of whiskey

"Rochelle, get some more shooters up here. The _blue balls crew_ just fucked off..."

"They're on their way" she answers

"And keep me informed of any intruders, I don't think Simian will tolerate our business tactics much longer"

The MMA girl nods and leads her own crew around the high rise building.

Simian sits in the compound office, opening a fresh pack of cigarettes when suddenly police sirens get louder and louder in the area

"They coming here?" He asks

Just then, the front gate is broken down by Bark the Polar Bear

"What the f-"

In an instant, the entire compound is flooded with SWAT cops and most of the Metropolis Police Department. Bark is able to reach Simian, tackle him to the ground and punch him in the face three times before police grab him

"This is for Manic and Tails, ya prick!"

As police drag him off, Bark stomps on Simian one more time

"Argh! ...you rat fuck!" Simian shouts

"Let's see who the cons kill first, _hound_"

Police and News helicopters fly over the compound and document the raid, while the entire city has been woken by Bark, putting a smile on his face as he's taken away.

Tails and Manic fly up to the 20th floor, open a window and sneak into the high rise building through an unoccupied apartment. Manic looks out at the city, knowing he's only going higher from this point on.

And it'd be better if he had his Medallions in case he falls off the building.

They quickly run through the colourful hallways and reach an elevator that will take them the rest of the way up to Scourge's luxury suite.

Manic pushes the 60th floor button and leans against the mirrored glass as the doors close.

"...nervous?"

Tails looks at the ceiling

"Yeah"

"Well, this shit's coming to an end as soon as we get off this elevator, so uh... I'm glad you came with me, Tails. You're my brother. I love ya, pal... no homo"

They both laugh, then take a moment to enjoy the peace and quiet inside this elevator.

The bell makes a DING sound as they reach the top floor

"Let's go get this fucker"


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9: Coming to a Conclusion_

Scourge grabs a straw and quickly snorts a line off his desk, just as his female bodyguard Rochelle walks

"Boss, I - is that cocaine?" She asks

Scourge grins "You're damn right. Pure, 100 percent... want some?"

She shakes her head "No, but, I thought you'd like to know Manic and Tails are in the building, it seems they're making their way up here"

"Where exactly are they right now?"

The MMA girl looks at a security monitor "...the dining area"

"Let the prep team handle it. They've got stainless steel down there, I don't see those two wannabes gettin' passed them"

Rochelle looks at her boss as he stumbles over to grab another bag from his closet, noticeably shaggy looking

"Boss, are you alright?"

"Huh? Yeah, never better!" Scourge replies "...what, don't I look like a million bucks or what? Is it my hair?"

"It's... nothing. What do you want me to do with their bodies?"

"Bring 'em to me. I want proof they're dead, and until they're laying at my feet, I ain't believin' shit"

"Understood"

"And can you send someone up with more of that Whiskey? That's the wickedest stuff I've had since I've been here"

"Right away, boss"

Rochelle leaves the office and joins her team downstairs. A second female MMA fighter, Tara, and two other male guards, Darren & Pat, wear matching uniforms to show their rank in Scourge's outlaw gang.

Being the main bodyguards for the boss is like being second in command in this hierarchy.

Each guard knows if something were to happen to the others, it's one less contender for that honour.

Needless to say, all four are very competitive with each other and are waiting for a promotion.

"The boss is losing it" Darren says as he leads the group "The boozing was one thing, but now he's on the rock! Now he's saying 'fuck the police' and ripping off Simian. He's gonna compromise everything!"

Rochelle walks next to him "Scourge isn't stupid, he knows what he's doing. That fat bastard Simian is the one who lost everything. And the police are just gonna have to wait for another payment"

"Hey, I don't like the way he's doing business, Roche'... it's all gonna come back on him, and then US! This isn't a smart move" Tara says

Pat nods his head "Yeah, Scourge is fucking everything up"

Rochelle stops the group "Look, if you guys don't like it, there's the door. Nobody is forcing you to stay... what's it gonna be? Leaving? Or shutting the fuck up?"

Her teammates' attention is brought behind her so she turns around to see what they're looking at

Manic and Tails limp through a red hallway that leads to the ballroom area, arms and legs wrapped up after being sliced and cut by the kitchen prep team.

"What's up ladies" Manic greets "It'd be really cool if you could move outta the way for us..."

Tails nods in agreement "Yeah, the trip up here has been absolute hell so if you wouldn't mind-"

Rochelle and Darren walk over to Manic, while Tara and Pat circle towards Tails

"...of course it can't be easy..."

"Never is for us, little brother... let's go kick some ass"

As they face off, Scourge plugs an AUX cord into his phone to play music over his PA system

"_Six_" by All That Remains blares throughout the entire high rise building

Manic lunges forward but Darren kicks him in the chest to back him up, and Rochelle hits a spinning wheel kick to his forehead, knocking the hedgehog to the floor. One guard kneels on his arms, while the other punches and elbows his face multiple times

Tails blocks Tara's punches but takes a powerful knee from Pat, making him drop his hands to grasp his stomach. Tara sweep-kicks his legs out from under him and quickly locks in an armbar submission. While Tails tries to escape the submission, he leaves the right side of his body exposed for attack, so Pat soccer-kicks him over and over.

"Yeah, show those dickheads what's good!" Scourge shouts while he watches the fight on a security monitor in his office

A wall-mounted flatscreen TV starts blinking, indicating a private phone number is calling him

"Ah, shit..." Scourge mutters before answering "...you've reached the big boss, unfortunately no one is available to take your call, would you like to leave a message?"

"Knock that shit off, asshole, I'm in jail!" Simian shouts "I thought you were payin' these pigs to piss off, why're they busting my ass?!"

"Oh, Sim, I didn't recognize your voice. You got a cold or something? You sound different"

"I swear to god, you'd better not be screwing me over, I'm not a man to be SCREWED with! Get your desk pansies to release me and my crew!"

The evil hedgehog leans back in his chair "You know I don't like to share my stuff, Sim, and I stand to make millions if there's no competition out here... you being inside is actually a good thing, because Now I get everything, if you know what I mean-"

"You listen to me, you little snake: The Chambers will find you _**ANYWHERE**_ you hide on this planet and rip your fucking heart out! You don't betray a member and just walk away! We'll get you!" Simian clarifies over the phone

"Hold that thought"

Scourge mutes Simian's end, takes a moment to snort another line and then unmutes the call

"...all I'm hearing are empty threats, big boy, and let me tell ya; as long as I've got these Medallions, NOBODY can touch me! Just ask your butt buddy Ox. Oh wait, there's nothing left of him but ashes!"

Simian smashes his fist against a table "You piece of shit!..."

"Anyway, have fun in prison. Tell the guys I said fuck off and die... oh, and try your best not to drop the soap. I've heard some nasty stories"

"Y - You set me up, didn't you?!"

Scourge laughs "Now, that's wishful thinking, big guy. Cheers, pal"

He ends the call and a male assistant enters his office with a bottle of Whiskey. Scourge pours a drink, sits back and watches Manic and Tails get beaten up by his bodyguards.

It isn't long before his TV starts ringing again, annoying him as he answers the call

"What is it?!"

"Our deal is off, you little shit" A male officer says

"What're you talking about?"

"Moss told us you're serving us up to G.U.N, you snitch. Deals' off"

Scourge lets out an annoyed growl "That wouldn't be very smart of you dumb pigs, seeing as I know who your families are and where they live. So do yourselves a favor and get with the fuckin' program!"

"We're not scared of you, Scourge. We've got allies from the government, now. Guys who can beat you, even with those Gems"

"Ah, Yeah? Let 'em come and try me!"

"Trust me, you won't live through it. Enjoy being on top, your time is nearly up"

The corrupt cop hangs up, then suddenly police sirens blare out from all over town

And Scourge knows exactly where they are headed to

While he jumps out of his seat to pack his belongings up, Manic gets passed 2 bodyguards and races upstairs towards Scourge's office. He kicks the door open but immediately gets thrust-kicked in the chest, knocking him back into the ballroom and he backflips over the metal railing.

He lands hard on the black carpeted floor and grasps his ribs.

"Murder these sons of bitches!" Scourge shouts

Rochelle and Darren circle Manic, so he gets up, dodges their punches and lands his first strike on the male bodyguard. Manic kicks him in the mouth, then lifts his left leg up to kick Rochelle in the body, knocking her down.

Tails can't get loose from the submission, forcing Manic to run over and save his friend.

He jumps up and bicycle-kicks Pat, crushing his windpipe on impact. He then rips Tara off Tails, pulls her jacket over her head to temporarily blind her, and notices Rochelle running towards them.

Manic hip tosses Tara and she collides with her partner in mid-air.

"Come on, _pretty boy_" Manic jokingly says as he helps Tails to his feet

The Fox spits out blood before speaking "...lets just get this done"

They climb up the golden staircase and quickly make their to Scourge's office.

At the same time, the evil hedgehog has wasted time packing up collectible items from his walk-in closet, things he doesn't need but wants to keep. He's packed boxes into a giant service elevator hidden in his office, while getting drunk off of his Whiskey.

"Okay, that's everything" Scourge says to himself "Time to get the fu-"

Manic tackles him to the floor and he drops all 3 Medallions, still attached to a silver necklace.

Scourge gets loose from Manic so Tails holds him back so he can't grab the Gems.

The Fox is knocked down by an elbow to the face, while Manic throws a left roundhouse kick to Scourge's face, stunning him for a moment.

The evil hedgehog throws sloppy punches that all miss their target, giving Manic a chance to jump up and hit him with a spinning back kick that knocks him off his feet.

By now, Scourge's vision is extremely blurry after putting such strong drugs and alcohol into his system. His head is spinning as Manic continues punching and kicking him violently.

"T, grab the necklace!" Manic shouts as he holds Scourge down

The Fox races over and scoops the Gems up "Got 'em!"

In an instant, Scourge shakes off the pain, gets loose and swipes the chain from Tails while landing a powerful thrust kick that knocks the teenage Fox down. Manic is able to rip the necklace away and toss it aside while he fights the now drug-fueled Scourge.

The evil hedgehog blocks every strike and Judo throws Manic mid-attack, so Tails runs in to fend off Scourge. The Fox performs multiple spinning wheel kicks because his two tails keep him perfectly balanced, but Scourge is slightly faster so he's able to stop the incoming kicks with a leg-check counter, and smash both sides of Tails' face with karate chops. The Fox falls back while Manic rushes in with boxing punches that get Scourge to raise his hands and back-peddle, giving the green hedgehog a chance to knock him to one knee with a legstrike.

"Hit him NOW Tails!" Manic shouts

He and Tails blast Scourge with kicks from both sides,

but the evil hedgehog blocks every single one of them.

Scourge rolls out of range, then springs up for a jumping knee strike on Tails that knocks him across the room. He side steps Manic and slides over to grab the Medallion Necklace.

Manic grabs onto the chain and tries to pull it away but Scourge's grip is too tight.

"Let go, they're MINE!" Scourge screams

"Like hell they are!" Manic responds

The necklace chain is broken by the pressure and all 3 Gems, as well as both hedgehogs, are launched backwards and scattered around the office.

Scourge and Manic crawl towards the closest Gems and fire an energy beam at the exact same time. The beams light up the room with a blinding white light that can be seen from outside the high rise building. They continue blasting at each other as they get to their feet and run towards each other.

Scourge throws a punch but Manic ducks under and counters with a spinning wheel kick that knocks the evil hedgehog out instantly.

Manic falls back and uses the wall to catch his balance, as he is too exhausted to stand on his own

"...god DAMNIT, that was tough!.." He says in between breaths "...I've waited so long to do that"

Tails gets up and kicks the Crystal Medallion over to Manic.

"T, pass me that metal crate. Gonna have to use that to carry these things"

The Fox dumps Scourge's belongings out of the large crate and holds it open as his friend puts all 3 Medallions inside.

Manic closes the lid and engages the combination lock, knowing he can lock-pick it later.

"Let's get the hell outta here"

Just then, Scourge pulls Manic to the ground by his vest, grabs the crate and boots him across the face at the same time.

Tails tries to grab the evil hedgehog but he quickly barrel rolls across the floor, gets into the service elevator and shuts the doors before he's caught.

"FUCK!" Manic shouts angrily "I think he broke my nose!"

"He's got the Medallions, Manic, I think that's more important right now!" Tails points out

"So, fuck my health, right?... (growl)... alright, help me pry open these doors, I'm gonna jump down the elevator shaft"

Tails opens a glass case, grabs a fire axe and swings it in the thin opening between the elevator doors. He pulls the handle back while Manic pushes it as hard as he can, eventually opening the doors wide enough for him to squeeze through.

"Okay, I'm going in"

Manic jumps into the pitch black shaft and disappears into the shadows, while shouting up to the Fox

_**Meet me in the parking garage!**_

Tails releases the fire axe and the elevator doors snap shut. He looks into a mirror and sees two big black eyes and dried blood running from his nose.

He grasps his ribs and leaves the office, only to be confronted by Rochelle, Tara, Darren and Pat

"...hey guys, no hard feelings, right?" Tails says with a nervous smile

"Take him out" Rochelle orders

Tails backs up, but is surprised as one by one, each body guard leaves the dining area

Rochelle looks back "What're you doing?!"

Tails sighs in relief "...I think you should find a new line of work, lady. Your boss just left you here and clearly your friends want no part of the mess he made..."

The MMA girl glares at Tails, then stomps off towards the public elevator.

Hearing sirens blare out just outside the building, the teenage fox walks to a window, climbs out to the ledge and spins his tails to slowly float back down to the street.

At the same time, Scourge stands in the service elevator and struggles to unlock the metal crate that holds all 3 Medallions. He curses loudly as he constantly messes up the combination, until finally, he hears the mechanisms CLICK

Just as he opens the lid, Manic crashes through the ceiling of the elevator and knocks the crate away from Scourge.

"Why - _**WHY**_ can't you just fuck off?!"

"I'm not going anywhere until you're dead and in the ground, asshole"

The evil hedgehog throws an elbow strike, which Manic blocks, so Scourge knees him in the body, while taking a powerful jab to the face.

Both hedgehogs back up, then Scourge runs in with a power punch

Manic ducks it and Scourge's fist makes a CLANG sound as it connects with the metal wall. He growls in pain but keeps fighting.

Manic continues to duck and dodge his opponents' attacks, then counters with technical punches.

Growing desperate, Scourge grabs a hold of Manic's vest and bites down on the side of his neck, instantly drawing blood and a painful scream from his opponent

Manic shoves Scourge off "Argh!... cheap piece of shit..."

The evil hedgehog spits the blood back at him and grins

Manic takes two quick punches to the mouth, but keeps fighting. He notices a pattern: Scourge feints a punch, ducks right and then throws punches.

If he times it right, he can land a power punch

The opening comes and Manic wastes no time throwing his right hand, connecting perfectly across Scourge's jaw.

Manic swarms the evil hedgehog with a dozens and dozens of strikes, drawing even more blood from his opponent.

By now, Scourge is worn out from the battle in his office, and he's just about drained of energy. Manic punches him with a left cross, followed by a right cross, then jumps up for a flying knee that knocks Scourge against the back wall.

He slides down and Manic puts his knee on the evil hedgehog's collarbone, pinning him down

"Give up, you sack of shit!"

Feeling the air being driven out of his lungs, Scourge desperately looks for a way out of the hold.

He sees Manic's left ear piercing shine under the lights, so he reaches for it and pulls on the ring

"OWW! THE F- ARGHHH!" Manic screams out

He holds Scourge's wrist to try and prevent him from completely ripping the piercing out, but Scourge's grip is too strong

The piercing tears through Manic's ear and blood spills onto the floor

Scourge is able to breathe as Manic gets off of him and grasps his left ear, giving the evil hedgehog a chance to crawl to the metal crate and reach in

Until Manic stomps on the lid as hard as he can, breaking Scourge's hand instantly

"AHH! Okay, OKAY! FUCKING STOP!"

He stomps on the lid one last time and punches Scourge across the face before letting him take his hand out of the crate. Blood flows from the wound on his right hand so he grasps it tightly but the pain is unbearable.

Manic reaches in, grabs his Jade Medallion and aims at Scourge's face, ready to blast him with the Neon Energy

Just then, the elevator doors open and both Hedgehog's are greeted by Tails being held at gun point

"That's enough" the gunman says

Manic looks over and sees whose pointing the weapon

Stone, Scourge's friend from the Canyon Crush arena

"You blast him and you're little fox buddy gets a bullet to the face. Don't make any stupid decisions here, Elemental. Hand over the boss and you idiots can walk away, that's all I want"

"Your boss murdered my friends, I'm not letting that go!" Manic shouts

Stone pulls the hammer back and presses the barrel to Tails' forehead

"Manic" the fox says, fear in his voice

The green hedgehog growls and backs away from Scourge, letting him crawl out of the elevator and towards his friend.

Tails is pushed over to Manic and they watch Stone help Scourge into the back of a getaway car.

The evil hedgehog sticks his middle finger out with his good hand as he is driven out of the parking garage and into the backstreets.

Manic drops the Medallion back into the metal crate, then sits on the curb. Tails, equally as tired, sits next to his friend and leans against a metal railing for support.

"You aren't lookin' so good, T"

"Yeah? I think I'm looking better than you right about now, bro"

Manic and Tails laugh and fist bump each other.

They say nothing as SWAT officers enter through every entrance in the garage and circle the duo.

The commanding officer approaches them "Hands up, boys"

"Who the FUCK are you?" Manic asks

"I'm Agent Warwick. I'm the one who put your buddy Knuckles away for 10 years. Let's see if I can beat that for you two retards"

"...whatever, man. Just get me something to eat. I'm starving"

Warwick grins "You heard him. Arrest these two. They're coming with me"


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10: Manic's Best Case Scenario_

Scourge leans against a window in the backseat of Stone's car, grasping his bloody, broken hand to try and relieve the pain.

His friend looks in the rear-view mirror as they pass a bus terminal

"How ya feelin', bro?"

"How the fuck do ya think? My hand's busted, I lost those god damn Medallions, AND I just got my ass kicked by Sonic's pussy brother! I'm not exactly in a great mood..." Scourge says with annoyance in his voice

"Yeah, so I've noticed" Stone replies "That kid really got you good-"

"Yeah, no SHIT"

"...we're heading out to a meeting. The Chambers wanna talk to you"

Scourge looks up at him "You don't think they're gonna clip me, do ya? Hey, I haven't done nothing those old bastards haven't done 10 times over, themselves! I still got their money, Stone!..."

"I think that might be the only thing saves us, boss. They didn't seem happy about the mess in Metropolis, or the one up in Casino Night Zone"

"That Allman Grey shit? Ah, that's not even THAT bad!... These old timers' can be bought, Stone, and I definitely have the cash"

"Yeah, I know. I just wanna get this over and done with" Stone says

"Hey, I told ya, if you ride with me, I'll take care of you, bro. I had the whole city! And I can get it again once I straighten this out. Alright?" Scourge asks

Stone drives into a gated community and sighs

"...Yeah"

With only the car's headlights to guide them, Stone slowly drives along the small roads to the Chambers' property. Trees and bushes are so close to the roads that branches scrape along the sides of the black car.

They pull into a small driveway and exit the vehicle to find a doorman guiding them to the front entrance of the property.

"Miss You" by The Rolling Stones plays over a radio as Stone and Scourge enter the front hallway.

Other members of The Chambers are present, some with their wives or girlfriends, and older family members. It's a very causal event at the property, running into the early hours of the morning.

The evil hedgehog gets curious glances from the guests, everyone is dressed formally while his leather jacket is ripped and blue jeans are blood-stained.

Scourge ignores them and checks his phone for the time

1:06 AM

"Gentlemen" An old man greets "The party we're hosting is running later than expected, but luckily we've got enough booze to last the night. Would you like a glass?"

"Heh, don't gotta ask me twice" Scourge says as he takes a tall glass of wine from The Host

Stone takes his glass and nods, then all three gangsters drink.

"...it's not ideal to discuss business in front of non-members, so how about we go somewhere more private, gentlemen"

As the alcohol flows through his system, Scourge's pain slowly goes away and his head is spinning once more. He relaxes himself and follows The Host through the large interior. They reach a metal door that can only be unlocked by a fingerprint scanner.

The old man presses his left hand on the machine and the large door opens

"Man, I wish they had these things back in my day. Would'a made it a lot tougher for the cops to get our stashes... (laughs) my brother would've probably hid-out in one of these for the rest of his days. He was funny like that"

Scourge and Stone laugh and agree with the host, clearly trying to stay on the old man's good side.

The trio walk down a metal staircase that is illuminated by wall-mounted lamps that go down along the side wall. They reach the basement and The Host walks over to a control switch to light up the rest of the long room.

"I used to let a band come and practice in this space. Y'know, 'cause it's soundproof down here"

The Host flips the switch and about 20 men are revealed all around the basement

Stone smashes his glass over the back of Scourge's head and he hits the floor in pain

"Agh! The Fuck?!"

The Host looks down at Scourge "I think you know why you're in this situation, kid. You fucked up too many times and there's only so much we can tolerate"

"Wait - WAIT! I still have your money! You don't have to do this, I'll send it all back! Just - DON'T FUCKING KILL ME!"

The Host smirks "My friends already wired the money from your account, so you don't have shit to your name... kid, this is the only way little shitheads like you will learn"

The Host steps away as his goons circle Scourge.

Stone is handed a baseball bat and he makes eye contact with his former boss for the last time, then takes a swing.

Down at the police station, Manic and Tails sit in two different interrogation rooms, both eating the first actual meals they've had in the past 2 days. After receiving medical attention, the duo wear lots of bandages around their arms, legs and heads, with Manic having gauze wrapped around his ear where his piercing used to be.

Agent Warwick enters Manic's room first, holding a couple of beige file folders.

"I knew M was right about you. That you'd be a pain in the ass instead of actually helping. That's what ignorant assholes like you do" Warwick starts off

Manic stops eating "Who? M? OH, that piece of shit excuse for a cop who had a hard-on for me and my friends? I remember him, now! Yeah, how is he? Doing okay, I hope"

"He was shot dead after evidence of corruption became public..."

"Always good to hear about our fine police officers. So, you're defending a bent cop, huh. Well, every pig needs to stick together, I guess"

"We're not here to talk about cops" Warwick opens a file folder "It's these things I'm interested in"

He throws a picture of Manic's Jade, Crystal and Sapphire Medallions on the table

"What about 'em?" The green hedgehog asks

"Since you've had these around, there's been fatalities in major cities and entire ZONES. Do you understand? You are single handedly decreasing the population at high rates with those Gems!"

"Yeah, it's JUST me killing people? Fuck you, man! I've had these things stolen from me 3 times, I haven't killed ANYONE!"

"But YOU brought them in. You were jealous that Sonic had his speed and you had nothing, so you fucked around with the Medallions 'til you got superpowers or whatever that green shit is!... Manic, do you even know what you've done?"

"Yeah, I've helped stop some of the world's craziest assholes from taking Robotnik's place! Me! Not Sonic, not the cops, certainly not the government. This place is a whole lot safer because of me and my friends!"

Warwick pushes the folders aside and takes a deep breath "...Knuckles thought the same thing-"

"Yeah and you threw him in prison for saving the lives you entitled pricks couldn't, or just wouldn't. You're not doing that to us, pig" Manic says with an edge in his voice

The G.U.N agent opens the second folder and places a few folders in front of Manic

"...these are the refugees from Genocide City. A SWAT team intercepted them in a compound owned by Scourge" Warwick says "I believe you've met miss Cee"

"You let her go right now, I ain't playing around motherfucker, let her GO! She didn't do a god damn thing!" Manic shouts

"That's the problem-"

Manic tries to lunge at him but his wrists are handcuffed to the metal table

"...she's not a citizen, no health or dental records, hell, she doesn't even have a birth certificate. None of them do. Which would make them illegal aliens in this Zone. To this planet, really, seeing as no one can prove where the hell these folks were born"

Manic scoffs at this information and sits back down

"...now, they could be afforded citizenship by the government fairly easily, and without issue... or they could end up in supervised shelters, many of which are located in ghetto territories, forced to wait years and years for approval to even use the washroom in this Zone without going to jail"

"Fuckin' asshole..."

"Aye, these are the rules, kid. And right now, I'm giving you a chance to decide what happens to these refugees. You want Cee to be free? Or do you want her walkin' on eggshells for the rest of her life?"

"What do you want from me? You've already got my Gems! What, you want my life, next?!" Manic asks angrily

"...I want you vigilantes off the streets. I dont wanna clean up the bodies you leave behind for the rest of my life, or keep having to tell worried parents their kid isn't ever coming home again. I want you sacks of shit gone forever, that's what I want"

Warwick slides a waiver across the table and tosses a pen over

"...before I sign anything, I wanna make a phone call"

The G.U.N agent lets out an annoyed groan and leaves the interrogation room.

Manic finishes up his meal and another officer gives him a cellphone to use

Warwick grabs a separate waiver and enters the interrogation room Tails is held in

"...your buddy likes to make things a lot harder than they need to be. How about you, huh? Gonna cooperate?"

Tails clears his throat "If memory serves me right, the law constitutes that I have the right to an attorney, yes?"

Warwick grudgingly nods his head

"Then I would like to request one before I say anything else to you, agent Warwick"

The agent throws the waiver away and walks back out the door just as fast as he came in.

Unfortunately for Scourge, his punishment is far more severe than anyone else's in his crew

The evil hedgehog's beating has been drawn out for the last half hour, as requested by The Host.

By now, Scourge's face is covered in massive bruises and plenty of blood, while his entire body is racked in pain after being bashed by the metal baseball bats.

The goons leave Scourge to bleed out and moan in pain while The Host stands over him

"Tough little shit, I gotta say. Punks like him usually flatline by now" The Old Man says as he turns around "You did good, Stone"

"I ain't about to cross The Chambers like this dumb fuck did"

"That's right. You wanna be a maniac, this is what happens"

The Host takes a big drink of his wine, swishes it around his mouth and spits it in Scourge's face

"...I want you to leave him somewhere everyone will see him. A good old fashioned message in blood. Preferably in a dumpster, so that everyone understands he's trash, and NOT one of us"

"Yes, sir"

The Old Man leaves his men to deal with Scourge, and tends to his party.

After wrapping Scourge in a large plastic bag, Stone and 2 other goons carry the evil hedgehog out the back door and into the trunk of Stone's car. He shakes hands with the goons and they head back inside the property, while Stone jumps in the drivers' seat. He leaves the gated community and carefully drives back into town.

He pulls into an alleyway, pulls his former boss out of the trunk and carries him down the back alley.

Scourge is helpless as Stone dumps him inside a large dumpster and pulls out a pistol.

Scourge dry heaves as he speaks

"...st-Stone, you ...piece of shit"

"You brought this on yourself"

"Bullshit, I did EVERYTHING for those cocksuckers! Everything!... and you're just gonna (cough) kiss their ass for the rest of your life, huh?..."

"There are rules for a reason. You knew that and broke 'em, anyway. Nothing I can do for you, now"

"I saved your life"

"I guess you should've left me, then. Oh well"

The Enforcer leans into the dumpster and fires 4 bullets into Scourge's torso.

Stone closes the lid and leaves his former boss to bleed out.

He disappears just as fast as he got here.

Back at the police station, Manic's sister Sonia has arrived and she's not alone. She's brought her lawyer, Mr. Pierce, to defend her brother and Tails.

Pierce reads over the waiver Warwick gave the duo and he is visibly upset

"Your plan is to blackmail my clients by using these INNOCENT refugees' lives as some kind of bait? I cannot believe how absurd your 'deal' is, agent Warwick!" The Lawyer exclaims

"Keep your panties on, hot shot. The refugees were only a desperation measure" Warwick says

"Against what? My brother and his friend aren't murderers!" Sonia shouts

"With those Medallions, the government has officially classified Manic, and ANY other wielders, as a terrorist threat. So yeah, he's a bad guy in my eyes"

"That is insane, when was this made official?"

Warwick crosses his arms "At the last internal affairs meeting. Which would mean that I have clearance to treat your baby brother as a piece of shit waste of space... hope you understood all that"

"That's not right and you KNOW IT!"

Manic puts his hand on Sonia's shoulder "Hey, it's alright.. this guy really thinks he's top shit and we can't do a thing to him... Warwick! I want to negotiate a new deal"

"...go on"

"Being that I am clearly the biggest threat on the planet at this very moment, according to you.. my friend Tails wouldn't be as big of a bust as I would be. So how about this: you let him and Cee walk away and then you can throw me in the deepest, darkest hole you can find. Alright? I'll take whatever sentence you want, you can keep the Medallions and that'll be the end of me"

Sonia and Tails look at him "Manic-"

"It's alright - I got this"

It takes Warwick 10 seconds to make up his mind "...I'll take that deal - No Tricks"

Manic grins "No, of course not. You got me, big man. Now let's get this shit going"

After almost another hour of processing and finalizing Manic's deal, Tails, Sonia and Pierce leave the Metropolis Police station and walk free. They step inside Sonia's white limousine and are driven to the refugee camp Cee is staying at.

The teenage fox exits the vehicle, passes through inspection and makes eye contact with the blonde hedgehog from Genocide City.

"Tails!" Cee shouts as she races over to him

"Hey, Cee"

As she gets closer and wraps her arms around the fox, the first thing she notices are his black eyes and bruises

"Tails, you're-"

"I'm okay. Me and Manic beat Scourge, and Simian won't ever bother you again... you're finally free to do whatever you want"

Her eyes widen "What?"

Tails smiles "Yep. Manic's sister Sonia is going to personally fund everyone here and help you get started, legally"

They both look back at the pink hedgehog and she waves to them

"Tails, this is - I don't know what to say"

"Don't say anything. Everything is gonna be okay"

The big smile slowly drops from Cee's face "...what about Manic?"

The Fox looks at the ground "He uh, he gave himself up as part of a deal... they said he might not ever get out of prison..."

"No-"

"I know. But he made that deal, himself... one of the last things he told me was that he wanted to finally take responsibility, so he's going away"

Cee looks into Tails' eyes "And what about you? Where are you going?"

The Fox quietly chuckles "...Manic also told me to go back to school. Stay out of this crazy Superhero life... I guess he's right, nothing good ever comes of it. So, I'm going back to my hometown and getting enrolled in class, again..."

Tails pulls out a piece of paper, writes his phone number on it and gives it to Cee

"...you can reach me at this number. Anytime, Cee. I'll always be there"

The blonde hedgehog kisses Tails on the cheek and hugs him one last time.

With this, the fox waves goodbye as he leaves the campground and heads into the city.

As Tails walks through the suburbs of downtown Metropolis, he hears a male voice call his name in the distance

"What the - is that you, Bark?" The Fox asks

The Polar Bear catches up "Tha's right, them cops let me out 'bout half-hour ago! ...said I can thank Manic for the early release. Y'know where the buggar's at?"

Tails shakes his head "This'll be the second time I tell this story-"

"Ah, that's a'right, I got time. Aye, is it cool if I tag along with ya? I kinda lost credibility in this city and can't stay 'ere"

"Sure, I don't mind... I'm heading to the bus terminal. Catching the next ride back to Green Hill"

"Oi, I ain't been down there in YEARS"

The Fox and Polar Bear reach the terminal, buy their tickets and wait on the platform for the bus to arrive.

As Tails listens to Bark's numerous criminal underworld stories, he hears a slight painful groan but can't find where it is.

"Hold that thought" Tails says

"What it is?" Bark asks

The Fox sniffs around and gets the scent of fresh blood, so he follows it. He walks around the corner from the terminal and down a back alley while Bark stays close behind

Tails stops in front of a green dumpster and covers his nose, so Bark opens the lid up, revealing a dying Scourge inside

Tails stands on a trash can and looks in "...whoa"

Scourge coughs up blood "Y-yeah, I know... I'm bleeding out and you get to watch me die (Cough) ...I still beat your ass, P-Prower... I still won"

The two don't say a word to each other and they don't break eye contact.

Bark shuts the lid on the dumpster and looks at Tails

"C'mon, man. There's nothing that can be done for him at this point. Let's go"

The Fox and Polar Bear leave the back alley and return to the bus terminal.

Scourge's voice is muffled as he curses Manic, Tails and The Chambers.

His voice soon gets quiet and Tails knows Scourge has passed.

Tails jumps on the bus first and looks out the back window as an ambulance arrives and paramedics pull the Evil Hedgehog's lifeless body out of the dumpster to attempt to revive him.

**SEVERAL MONTHS LATER**

Tails sits in his English class after school and waits for his reach to finish reading his essay. The older hedgehog sits at his desk at the front of the class, wiping sweat from his forehead and adjusting his glasses, while Tails looks out a window at all the other students leaving for the weekend.

Finally the teacher speaks "...all of this is based on a true story?"

"Well, let's say inspired-"

"I think 'true story' is better, Miles. Nobody wants to read about something 'inspired by a true story'... you must've had one hell of a trip, Mr. Prower. The events seem so surreal. I think this is your best work, yet"

"Oh. Thanks, Mr. Smith"

"This 'Underground' you talk about is a very interesting place. Almost makes you want to live there... it's a good thing you can separate fantasy from reality. You should think about becoming a journalist in the future, Miles. This is great stuff"

And with that, Tails is dismissed from class. He doesn't pay much attention to Mr. Smith's words

He might believe a place like this exists, but Tails has been there, and knows everything about it.

The Fox gets back to his house and lays down on a black leather couch.

Amy left with Silver months ago to find Sonic, Cream still won't talk to him, and Knuckles, Vector, Espio and Manic are all in prison, probably for the rest of their lives.

Tails is all alone once again.

Then his phone rings

UNKNOWN NUMBER

"Probably Cee using someone else's number, again" Tails says to himself as he answers "Hello?"

"What's up, T"

Tails quickly sits up "MANIC?!"

"Hehe, that's right, bro"

"Dude, they let you out?"

"Shit no, T, I let MYSELF out. You think I was actually gonna sit in that shit hole for the rest of my life? Nah, I don't roll that way... so what's new"

_**TRICKED**_

**Prison Island Medical Informary**

**Later That Day**

The Green Hedgehog lies on a gurney with arms and legs strapped to the rails to prevent him from moving.

A male nurse wheels the gurney through the bright halls of the prison infirmary, many rooms are filled with injured convicts and even more guards supervising them.

However, Scourge is being taken to the Intensive Care Unit, it seems that months of surgeries and therapy aren't helping him recover.

The evil hedgehog grips the rails tightly with his swollen and scarred fingers as he's left in a large room with bright green walls. He looks around and sees only one bed in this room is occupied, but he can't see who's here.

Ever since he robbed The Chambers AND survived their punishment, Scourge knows he's been marked for death.

This sudden realization makes his heart race faster when the convict in the bed sits up

"Never thought I'd see you again"

Scourge is slow to tilt his head towards the convict, and starts breathing heavily when he makes eye contact with Sleuth Dogg

"...Heh, y'know, I had my boy Victor shank me just so I could get in ICU"

"Because you knew I'd be here? How fuckin' clever" Scourge says sarcastically

"Nah, it's just common sense. In here, anyway. 25 to life ain't no easy ride, Slimeball"

"...is this the part where you threaten me? Or am I supposed to guess just what the FUCK you want with me?"

Dogg stands up and makes his way to Scourge's gurney, grasping his stab wound as he limps over.

Scourge frantically tries to get free from the straps as he feels the razor sharp tip of a Shank touch his already scarred chest.

"Scares ya, doesn't it? You wouldn't be able to do a damn thing in this situation. That's how helpless you'd be if I wanted you dead, regardless if it was in here or out on the streets. And that ain't no threat, boy"

"O-KAY... I get it... so, what do you want?" Scourge asks

"I need men to help get me outta this place-"

"I don't know if you noticed, but I can't fucking move!"

"I don't need you to move. I need you to do the only thing you're good at: running that big mouth and drawing attention to yourself"

"Well, that's hurtful, I feel like I'm truly good at other things"

Dogg leans against the wall "Can I count on you or what. I don't need to watch over scrubs"

"Maybe you've been inside for too long but I OWNED Metropolis! I made millions in that city! I am not a scrub!"

"Yeah, you're a green shitbag strapped to a gurney in a prison hospital, currently with almost EVERYONE in this building who wants to kill you. I'm not saying I wanna be best friends, but I can protect you. But only if you help me. And not just in here"

Scourge thinks about this statement

"The Chambers"

Dogg nods "They burned me the same way they got you, and I'm pretty fuckin' sick of hearing about these old pricks"

Scourge nods in agreement

"...this isn't going to be like The Destructix, either. You're not in charge, asshole"

"It can't ever be the same as it was back then, Dogg. Fiona left me, I'm damn-near crippled, and you need viagra just to operate, hehehe"

Dogg gives Scourge a warning slash with the blade and walks back to his bed on the other side of the room.

"You'd be wise to keep your mouth shut until I tell you, shit face. The Cons in here don't take back-talk real well" Dogg says as he hides his shank "And neither do I"

"...I missed ya too, you big brown steroid popping bastard. Can't wait to work together again"

"I'm already regretting this..."

**TO BE CONCLUDED**


End file.
